Ryanair to cut flights because of Boeing 737 Max grounding

Ryanair will cut flights next summer and potentially close some European bases as a result of the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max jets after two fatal crashes. The carrier said the delay to the delivery of new aircraft would result in it receiving almost half the number of jets — 30 compared with 58 — it was expecting by next May. The shortfall has led the airline to reduce the number of passengers it expects to carry in the year to March 2021 to 157m, from the 162m previously forecast. The company said it would also need to make some cutbacks, including the possible closure of some of its bases for summer 2020. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CE, said the company was starting a series of discussions with its airports to determine which of its underperforming or lossmaking bases would take a hit from November 2019. Ryanair said it expected the 737 Max 8, which has been grounded after two crashes in which a total of 346 people died, to return to service before the end of 2019 — although that could be delayed. Boeing hopes to lodge an application to regulators to allow the aircraft to fly again by September, with a return to service shortly after. However, O’Leary said “it would be prudent to plan for that date to slip by some months, possibly as late as December”.<br/>