Ryanair Announces Boeing 737 MAX Updates

Ryanair has announced several updates regarding its commitment to the Boeing 737 MAX. This aircraft is pivotal to the budget airline’s long-term success.

Additionally, the carrier revealed it had posted a full-year profit of €1.92 billion, with traffic growth of a further 9% to 184 million.

Ryanair says that as of March 2024, 146 Boeing 737 MAX jets were in operation, for a total of 584 aircraft. This figure is lower than expected because of persistent Boeing delays.

The airline remains hopeful that it’ll be able to increase its 737 MAX commitment to 158 by the end of July 2024. If accurate, this forecast would still represent a substantial reduction from the previously contracted tally, which should see 23 more units delivered.

Ryanair has also stated that it is preparing for this forecast of 158 MAX jets in its fleet, shrinking further due to Boeing’s persistent difficulties. The company says it remains in close dialogue with Boeing to accelerate 737 deliveries and ensure the quality of aircraft being provided is of the highest standard.

A Cautious Summer Ahead

Despite the 737 MAX delays, Ryanair forecasts strong summer 2024 season demand with the largest-ever summer schedule expected. Ryanair will include five new bases with 200 new customer routes as part of this schedule.

However, Ryanair knows that the industry is still battling capacity constraints in different ways due to delivery delays and competitor airlines grounding A320 aircraft. These Airbus groundings came about thanks to Pratt & Whitney engine troubles that were expected to continue for many years.

Ryanair is also wary of the ongoing consolidation across the European industry and believes it’s well-positioned to continue competing in this hotly contested space.

Looking Into The Future

Looking ahead to the upcoming financial years, Ryanair believes its traffic in FY25 will grow by 8% from 198 million to 200 million. However, much of Ryanair’s forecasting is heavily subject to whether Boeing will be able to get back on track with its contracted deliveries.

Ryanair also believes it will welcome the Boeing 737-10 into its fleet sometime in 2027. This is the high-capacity MAX variant that Ryanair has committed to in sheer numbers. However, it also remains uncertified.

Given all its difficulties, Boeing has yet to provide an updated timeframe for certification. However, some airlines are preparing for the worst. In the case of United Airlines, they’ve removed the 737-10 from their future fleet plan and are taking additional certified MAX jets and Airbus aircraft to cover.