Ryanair is an Irish airline that (0) SUCCESSFULLY (SUCCESS) attracted 1COMMERCE partners by following the 2REGULATE of the European aviation industry in 1997, when smaller airlines could finally compete with the large operators. Co-founded in 1984 by Tony Ryan, a prominent Irish 3BUSINESS, the company grew quickly from owning a single 15-seat light aircraft, which flew between Ireland and England, to more than 360 Boeing 737 aircraft.
4CURRENT, it is the largest European airline, employing more than 1,200 pilots, and serves 32 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Chief Executive Michael O'Leary knew that the key to dominating the commercial European air-travel market was to operate a single type of aircraft for a single, standard class of passenger and to reduce turnaround times at airports, 5MAXIMUM the number of journeys each aircraft could make. By doing this, Ryanair was able to offer 6COMPARE cheap fares at a time when air travel was expensive.
There followed a series of 7COMPETE airlines, all of which adhered to the same simplified operating principles. However, Ryanair has retained its market 8DOMINATE, largely due to its decision to improve the Ryanair customer experience in 2013.