Ryanair SWOT Analysis: Addicted to growth, a great model for bad times

Micheal O'Leary's years of shimmying and pulsating have finally worked. His rain dance has brought a flood of almost biblical proportions. Economic misery across Europe has most of its airlines in a fight for near term survival. Not Ryanair. It is one of the only airlines poised to make money this year. But some significant medium term battles are looming. Economic recovery is probably Ryanair's greatest problem and the key reason behind O'Leary's threat to buy Lufthansa. In this report, we review Ryanair's enduring strengths - its low fares super brand and relentless focus on low costs; its progress in identifying weaknesses in its model and turning them into strengths; how it is leveraging its size to develop market opportunities; and its effective strategy of neutralising threats.