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Q3 after-tax profit 149 mln euros vs 60 mln euros forecast

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Fares recover from summer drop to rise 1% in Q3

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FY26 traffic forecast cut to 206 mln from 210 mln

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Co reports 'big improvements' in Boeing ( BA ) despite delays

(Adds details on outlook in paragraphs 3 and 5, adds Boeing ( BA )

improvement in paragraphs 9-10 and changes headline)

By Conor Humphries

DUBLIN, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Ryanair, Europe's

largest low-cost carrier, posted an after-tax profit for the

three-month period ended Dec. 31 that beat analysts' forecasts

on Monday, but revised down its passenger outlook on delays in

Boeing ( BA ) aircraft delivery.

After tax-profit for the third quarter came in at 149

million euros ($156 million), significantly ahead of the

60-million-euro profit forecast in a company poll of analysts.

That was mainly due to a better-than-expected 1% increase in

average fares in the quarter, compared with a fall of 7% during

the previous quarter, Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said,

citing good last-minute bookings for Christmas and New Year

holidays.

Ryanair, which makes most of its profit during the summer

season, said it was "cautiously guiding" after-tax profit for

the 12 months to March 31 in a range of 1.55 billion euros to

1.61 billion euros.

It is too early to give guidance on the coming summer, but

early indications are that bookings are robust and European

short-haul capacity is likely to be constrained, Sorahan said.

BOEING DELAYS

Ryanair said it expects to take delivery of nine Boeing

737 MAX aircraft ahead of its peak summer season, fewer

than expected, and as a result will cut its forecast for

passenger numbers in the 12 months to March 31, 2026, to 206

million from 210 million. An earlier forecast of 215 million was

cut in November.

The final 29 aircraft of Ryanair's 210 MAX order will arrive

by March next year, lifting traffic to 215 million passengers in

the year to March 2027, he said.

Sorahan, who recently returned from a trip to Boeing's ( BA )

production facilities in Seattle, said the delays were

disappointing but that he had a "strong level of confidence,"

that the nine aircraft would arrive on time.

"We can see big improvements in the factory. The

quality of the fuselage ... have improved greatly, but they're

just not going to get there for this summer," Sorahan said in an

interview.

Ryanair, which has no aircraft orders with any other

manufacturer, is not particularly concerned about Boeing's ( BA )

financial position, and that as a systematically important

company to the U.S. economy it would be supported "come what

may," Sorahan said.

($1 = 0.9564 euros)

(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Christian Schmollinger

and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)