Ryanair bets on Google AI to counter falling fares and rising costs

Ryanair signed a five-year cloud contract with Google on August 12, deploying Gemini AI and DeepMind models across operations for 35,000 employees, as the airline faces falling fares and rising costs. The deal adds Google Cloud as a second partner alongside Amazon Web Services, targeting crew scheduling and maintenance to cut costs. Ryanair's first-quarter profit fell 34% to €538 million despite traffic rising 6% to 61.3 million passengers. Average fares dropped 6% and unit costs rose 5%, with Q2 pricing expected to decline further. The airline paused share buybacks to rebuild cash toward a €4 billion target, while managing EU regulatory changes.