Ryanair’s Risk of Summer Flight Cancellations Due to Boeing’s Crisis

This article was last updated on February 26, 2024

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Ryanair’s Warning: The Potential Cancellation of Summer Flights Amid Boeing’s Crisis

Low-cost airline, Ryanair, has raised a warning flag about the possible cancellation of flights during the summer schedule. The CEO – Michael O’Leary, expresses the company’s disappointment in the lower-than-anticipated aircraft delivery from Boeing. This impediment may affect Ryanair’s summer flight schedule, potentially causing air ticket price inflation by 5 to 10 percent. Boeing had initially assured the delivery of 57 airplanes by the end of June. However, a week ago, Ryanair was informed that the number of airplanes would be reduced to around 50. Even this revised figure seems uncertain now. “We are not quite sure how many aircraft we will receive from Boeing,” voiced O’Leary at a press briefing – revealing his frustration. He further explicated, “With almost certainty, we will receive around 30 to 40. We also feel somewhat confident that we may receive between 40 and 45. But our confidence dwindles when it comes to receiving more than 45 units.”

Another Calamitous Year Looming Over Boeing

If Ryanair fails to receive more than 40 aircraft from Boeing, it may resort to “cancelling a few smaller flights” by March end. Consequently, the Irish airline company anticipates ferrying around 200 million passengers in the forthcoming fiscal year – a figure markedly reduced from the initially projected 205 million passengers. Another crisis-ridden year seems to be on the cards for Boeing. In early January, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 plane was forced to execute an emergency landing as part of its fuselage was ripped off just after take-off. Soon after, United Airlines reported the discovery of loose screws in several aircraft by the aviation giant. As a result, these aircraft were grounded from flying temporarily by the FAA. Although these aircraft are back in flight now, Boeing has been disallowed from expanding its aircraft production until further notice.

Boeing’s issues trace back to 2018 and 2019 when fatal accidents involving its aircraft occurred – strongly indicating the presence of technical errors. Both accidents involved the Max 8 aircraft – slightly shorter than the 737 Max 9, which was also eventually grounded for inspection.

In an official statement to Reuters, Boeing acknowledged the existing delays in delivery to certain customer airlines, including Ryanair. The Seattle-based corporation affirmed its commitment to ensure the observance of all regulatory standards before delivering aircraft to its customers. Expressing regret, Boeing stated, “We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our valued customer, Ryanair.” In response, Ryanair’s CEO – O’Leary, reiterated his call for the replacement of Boeing’s management and was explicit in his dissatisfaction. “They make optimistic promises only to go back on them. Then, a week or two later, the situation worsens. There is a real mess in Seattle. We just need those aircraft delivered.