Ryanair: 737 Max woes could delay growth plan by up to two years

Ryanair has put on hold its ambitions of flying 200m passengers annually because of extended delays to the delivery of a fleet of Boeing’s 737 Max planes, which may now arrive up to two years late. The airline said it would press the US manufacturer to revise its huge order of 737 Max 200 models to include an even larger variant, the 230-seat 737 Max 10, once the troubled plane is approved and back in production. Ryanair is one of the biggest customers for Boeing’s grounded plane, with a total of 210 on order. The Irish airline said it hopes to have its first 55 737 Max jets flying by the summer of 2021, a year later than originally planned, with 50 more planes to follow each year ready for the summer schedules. However, Ryanair CE Michael O’Leary said Boeing’s problems could ultimately delay the planes’ entry into service for the airline by two years. O’Leary said: “What is likely is they will push out that delivery profile with Boeing by at least 12 months. At best that means we will have to roll forward our plans to fly 200 million passengers per year ... by at least 12 months, possibly 24.” That would result in Ryanair reaching its 200m passenger target by March 2026 rather than March 2024. Its CFO, Neil Sorahan, when asked if there was any risk to its plans to take delivery of 55 planes by next summer, said: “I don’t believe so – but we have been disappointed before.”<br/>