Ryanair may have to cut summer flights due to further Boeing delays
By Joanna Plucinska
DUBLIN (Reuters) — Ryanair will receive even fewer Boeing (NYSE:BA) aircraft by the end of June than previously expected, CEO Michael O'Leary said on Friday, potentially prompting the budget carrier to cut its summer schedule at the busiest time of the year.
The Dublin-based airline is the first in Europe to warn of disruption due a deepening crisis at Boeing, which has been mired in a regulatory audit and has been prohibited from ramping up 737 MAX production since the Jan. 5 mid-air panel blowout of a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9.
Ryanair was due to receive 57 Boeing MAX 8200 planes by end-April, but just over a week ago Boeing told the airline it would receive around 50 aircraft by end-June, O'Leary said. That could now change.
«We don't really know how many aircraft we're going to get from Boeing,» O'Leary said at a media briefing. «We're pretty sure we're going to get 30 to 40. We're reasonably confident we're between 40 and 45. And now we are far less confident we're going to get between 45 and 50.»
In a statement to Reuters, Boeing confirmed that it has told some airlines that deliveries could be delayed as the company ensures planes meet all regulatory standards before being handed over to customers.
«We deeply regret the impact this is having on our valued customer Ryanair,» Boeing said. «We're working to address their concerns and taking action on a comprehensive plan to strengthen 737 quality and delivery performance.”
The delayed deliveries mean Ryanair might have to remove some flights from its summer schedule, O'Leary said, cutting capacity for what is expected to be a record summer of travel.
»If we only get 40, by the end of March we will have to announce some minor schedule cuts," he
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