Ryanair has said it will need to keep offering travellers discounted prices in the coming months amid a “hugely uncertain outlook” for the year.

The airline reported losses of €96m (£80m) in the last three months of 2021, according to Yahoo! Finance.

It missed its targets in December after the spread of Omicron forced governments to reimpose restrictions on international travel.

In a statement the airline said: “The sudden emergence of the Omicron variant and the media hysteria it generated in December, forced many European governments to reimpose travel restrictions in the run-up to Christmas, which significantly weakened peak Christmas and New Year bookings and fares."

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Ryanair are looking to increase the number of passengers on their planes (PA)Ryanair are looking to increase the number of passengers on their planes (PA) (Image: PA)

Ryanair only managed to have 9.5 million passengers travel with them in December, which was below their target of 11 million.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary said the outlook for 2022 was uncertain despite a large bounce back in bookings since worries about the Omicron variant began to fade.

He said: "While recent bookings have improved, following the easing of travel restrictions, the booking curve remains very late and close-in, so Q4 traffic requires significant price stimulation at lower prices."

Ryanair reaffirmed its expectations that it would fly just under 100 million passengers this financial year, which ends on March 31. It also reiterated its forecast loss for the full financial year at between €250m and €450m.