However, Ryanair would only have spare aircraft available in the winter, he said – and Kigali is also beyond the range of non-stop flights with its narrow-body jets.

An arch-opponent of Brexit in the run up to the 2016 referendum, Mr O’Leary said Ryanair’s UK footprint would have been bigger without the decision to leave. However, Britain remains far and away the carrier’s biggest market, with almost a third of its total passengers.

Mr O’Leary also appealed to Labour to take steps to ease freedom of movement should it win the next election, and called on the party to pursue an effective trade deal with the European Union.

He said: “Brexit is done, nobody cares anymore. The whole thing now is how you make the best of it. You’re not going to rejoin the EU, that’s fine, I accept that, but do a trade deal that gives maximum access to the European economy.”

Scrapping the Air Passenger Duty tax, at least for airports away from London, would also spur huge growth in air travel and tourism to and from the UK, he said.  The tax adds £13 to the cost of a typical Ryanair flight.

Mr O’Leary spoke before the publication of a report into Ryanair’s contribution to the British economy commissioned from York Aviation, which suggests that the company delivers £14bn a year in gross added value and supports 98,000 jobs.

He said: “I don’t think we’re appreciated or understood. We’re a massive inward investor in the UK and I think we can do more.”

Mr O’Leary confirmed that Ryanair will be 15 to 20 aircraft short of its planned fleet for the summer peak following delayed 737 Max handovers from Boeing tied to the planemaker’s quality-control crisis, even as some deliveries are brought forward.

Boeing on Wednesday revealed operating losses of $1.1bn (£880m) at its main airliner unit in the first quarter of the year amid increased safety checks.

Summer bookings are looking strong, he said, with fares expected to increase by 5-10pc over the period and network-wide passenger numbers swelling to 200 million for the full year.

Mr O’Leary said Ryanair could potentially add three more UK airports to the 22 it already serves and convert some existing locations into bases, where it stations aircraft and therefore employs crew locally.

Norwich and a hub in the southwest, such as Bournemouth or Exeter, are strong candidates.

The chief executive said there is less likelihood of serious disruption to European operations this summer than in 2023, when air traffic control strikes led 16,000 flights to be cancelled industry-wide.

Ryanair had planned to cancel 500 flights due to overfly France on Thursday during a strike there by controllers. After the main SNCTA union gave notice that members would no longer walk out, it reduced the number to 300.