Ryanair (ISEQ: RYA, LSE: RYA, NASDAQ: RYAAY) is an Irish airline with headquarters in Dublin. Its biggest operational base is at London Stansted Airport in the UK with its second biggest base at Dublin International Airport. It is Europe's largest low-cost carrier and the biggest Irish airline, followed by Aer Lingus.
Ryanair operates 166 aircraft on 729 routes across Europe and North Africa from its 31 bases. The airline has been characterised by rapid expansion, a result of the deregulation of the air industry in Europe in 1997. Ryanair is the third largest airline in Europe in terms of passenger numbers and the world's largest in terms of international passenger numbers.