Ryanair began operations as an airline in 1985.
The company was founded in 1984 as Ryan’s Irish airline and began flying in July 1985. Its initial route connected Waterford in Ireland with London Gatwick, using a small turboprop aircraft. The airline was created by the Ryan family and initially aimed to challenge the established carriers serving routes between Ireland and Britain.
Ryanair’s modern low-cost model developed especially during the 1990s under Michael O’Leary. The airline adopted practices associated with budget aviation, such as a largely standardized fleet, high aircraft utilization, and charging separately for many optional services. It expanded rapidly across Europe after deregulation opened more routes to competition.
Ryanair is headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, and its principal operating base is Dublin Airport. Its original history is sometimes confused with the date of its later transformation into a large low-cost carrier. The company existed before that transformation, but its first airline operations date to 1985.