Ryanair has reported a quarter three profit of €88 million, compared with a €66 million loss in the same period last year.

Traffic at the low-cost airline group grew six per cent over the three months, with the carrier welcoming 36 million guests.

Sales grew 21 per cent, to €1.91 billion, led by better than expected Christmas and New Year bookings, at higher fares.

Ancillary revenue increased by 28 per cent, to €0.7 billion, as more guests chose priority boarding and preferred seat services.

However, Ryanair said it now does not now expect the Boeing 737 Max to enter service until at least September.

The carrier has the biggest order for the aircraft type in Europe – for 210 of a variant called the Max 200, with an extra eight seats.

It was due to start flying the plane in May last year, but due to the worldwide grounding it has yet to take delivery of any of the aircraft.

As a direct result of the delays, Ryanair said it would extend its plan to carry 200 million passengers annually by at least a year, to 2025.