"Stansted is Ryanair’s biggest airport base, with 40 out of a total fleet of 350 aircraft located there. Neil Sorahan, the chief financial officer, said airports in Italy, Spain and Germany would all be targets for growth as it eyes greater expansion outside the UK.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, said: “We will pivot our growth away from UK airports and focus more on growing at our EU airports over the next two years. This winter we will cut capacity and frequency on many London Stansted routes, although no routes will close.” "
That's not what the boss says. Ryanair is a Dublin based airline. It does not need the planes to be based in non-EU countries.