Ryanair is currently evaluating the impact of production issues with Boeing’s 737 MAX, which will result in reduced deliveries by the manufacturer in the near future.
The low-cost carrier has 24 new jets set for delivery within the next three months, but this schedule may be disrupted due to a parts issue reported by Boeing. This situation could pose a challenge for Ryanair, one of the leading customers of the MAX, which already operates a fleet of 54 MAX 8-200s.
A spokesperson for Ryanair commented, “This Boeing announcement does not affect Ryanair’s current fleet of 540 737 aircraft. We are assessing with Boeing how this will impact the 24 737 aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery in the remainder of April, May and June.”
If the deliveries of its incoming planes are delayed, the carrier may face challenging choices regarding its summer schedule. The airline is preparing for a record-breaking 12-month schedule, intending to transport around 185 million passengers up to March 2024, and it had relied on the timely arrival of its new aircraft.
In order to achieve its ambitious goal, Ryanair would require approximately 45 deliveries of these jets in 2023, considering that it had integrated 60 of these next-generation narrow-body planes into its fleet last year. As the peak summer travel season typically commences towards the end of May, any near-term delay in delivery could prove to be a significant cost to the carrier. Although Ryanair has a fleet of 540 Boeing 737s at its disposal, CEO Michael O’Leary has previously stated that the airline’s passenger targets would be affected if it falls short of its delivery schedule by roughly 10 aircraft.
