Ryanair's O'Leary says industry most optimistic in 25 years

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said this is the most optimistic time he has seen in air travel since taking charge of the airline in the mid-1990s as passengers return to the skies following a series of COVID-19 lockdowns.

"This is the most optimistic time I've seen in air travel for the last 25 years. Everybody's been locked down for two years. Tourism is getting back, hotels are filling up again, beaches are filling up again. Everyone's getting moving again," O'Leary told a Eurocontrol event.

Eddie Wilson, the head of Ryanair DAC, the largest airline in the group, added that the looming recession in Europe is of a different variety this time due to the build up savings during the pandemic and relatively full employment in the economies Ryanair operates in.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; editing by David Evans)