Due to Boeing Delays, the Airline may Reduce Summer Flights and Hike Costs by 10%
Due to delays in the construction of Boeing 737 Max aircraft, Ryanair fears that it may have to reduce the number of aircraft it has available at its busiest time of year, which might result in price increases and the elimination of several routes from its summer flying schedule.
The airline, based in Dublin, Ireland, stated that it was expecting to get fifty of the Boeing 8200 aircraft—a version of the 737 Max—by the end of June instead of the fifty that it was scheduled to receive by the end of April. This information was provided by Boeing more than a week ago.
The circumstances are still fluid, and according to Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, the business is still unaware of the number of planes it will receive in the upcoming months.
“We really don’t know how many aircraft we’re going to get from Boeing,” O’Leary said at a media briefing on Friday. “We’re pretty sure we’re going to get 30 to 40. We’re reasonably confident we’re between 40 and 45. And now we are far less confident we’re going to get between 45 and 50.”
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“If weonly get 40, by the end of March we will have to announce some minor schedule cuts,” O’Leary stated. This would imply that, rather than the 205 million passengers initially anticipated, Ryanair will probably only carry 200 million passengers for the fiscal year that starts in April.
He continued by saying that some of the expenses incurred by delays would be transferred to customers, meaning that prices will probably increase by 5% to 10% this summer and by an average of 10 to 15 euros over the following five years.
Following the midair panel blowout of a 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight on January 5, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has increased regulatory control of Boeing’s manufacturing lines and prohibited the corporation from increasing the production of the aircraft.
According to Boeing, “We are communicating with customers that some delivery schedules may change as we take the necessary time to make sure that every airplane we deliver is high quality and meets all customer and regulatory requirements.”
We sincerely apologize for the effect this is having on Ryanair, a valued customer. Boeing’s statement concluded, “We’re working to address their concerns and implementing a comprehensive plan to strengthen 737 quality and deliver performance.”
