I understand that flight + cabin crew are worked hard over summer with less work in winter (so fewer annual hours used in November), and that aircraft maintenance will likely be weighted towards winter rather than summer - so there is less flying capacity in winter. I realise also that some older aircraft will be exited over time. However, is the fleet really that stretched in winter ?
I always thought that in winter Ryanair had plenty of slack in the system. I don't see Ryanair leasing lots of aircraft over summer 2019, so am wondering if there really will be a severe aircraft shortage over the coming winter. My suspicion is that this is just an excuse to cut some underperforming / loss-making routes