Ryanair Happy With Boeing

Ryanair is pleased with the progress made at American planemaker Boeing, marking a shift in tone from the budget European carrier.

Michael O’Leary, the airline’s Chief Executive, said progress was being made at the planemaker and they were happy with the performance of the aircraft being delivered.

Additionally, the planemaker reaffirmed hopes that it would seek the necessary approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to increase production rates from the previous capped 38 to 42.

Given Ryanair is an all-Boeing operator, it places heavy reliance on the planemaker’s ability to work through production challenges, as this directly affects its ability to grow as well.

Ryanair Remains Cautious

While there has been considerable improvement on the production floor at Boeing, and Ryanair is considered satisfied with the progress, it isn’t all smooth sailing yet.

The budget carrier is also awaiting delivery of the 737-10, the high-capacity model of the 737 MAX program, which remains uncertified.

For Ryanair, a budget airline seeking to minimise fleet complexity while increasing capacity between markets, the 737-10 is considered the ideal aircraft for this type of operation.

However, the carrier has been subject to delays time and again, which have impacted its own ability to grow, renew, and add capacity where necessary.

Concerning the 737-10, O’Leary, when speaking with Reuters, said while optimism was present, which is always a great feature to have, confidence was not about the timing of the 737-10 delivery.

Ryanair is hopeful that deliveries of this major new aircraft will occur in Spring 2027, but the timeframe for this to happen is beginning to get tighter and tighter.

If this were to happen, deliveries would begin in Summer 2027, which would then not see the jets enter service during a crucial period, resulting in a flatlining effect in terms of growth for that summer, and apparent effects would also be felt for the 2026 summer.

Unfortunately, as O’Leary has learned, the situation remains out of his hands; there is not much the budget carrier can do other than sit and wait and stay in consistent communication with Boeing over the matter.

Ryanair’s Previous Stance

Ryanair’s relationship with Boeing has been one of love and hate, driven by the firm’s reliance on the products provided by this planemaker.

However, the anger stems from the inability of these next-generation products to be delivered on time and with high quality, among other key concerns.

Despite this, the praise and renewed confidence from executive Michael O’Leary do represent a significant shift from the dialogue previously with this budget carrier.

O’Leary has not been afraid to, time and time again, pull the planemaker up on its struggles and voice its displeasure about the situation, as well as the significant impact it has on its own business.

Those frustrations are understandable, given that the airline relies heavily on the product and operates in a highly competitive industry space, where any lapses can result in the loss of valuable market share.