Ryanair is to buy 10 more Boeing 737 Max 200 aircraft, five of which will deliver in the first half of 2019, with the remainder arriving in the first half of 2020.
The airline said that this new order, which is valued at more than $1.1bn at current list prices, will, together with the existing firm order for 100 Max 200s (and 100 options), allow Ryanair to grow its traffic to 200m customers a year by 2024.
Ryanair chief operations officer Mick Hickey
Ryanair carried 117m passengers last year – a rise of 15pc on the previous year – and eclipsing even Lufthansa, which carried 109.7m passengers.
Ryanair’s operates an all-Boeing fleet, the youngest in Europe, with an average age of six and a half years, and took delivery of its 450th Boeing aircraft in March 2017. These new Max “Gamechanger” aircraft will reduce fuel consumption by up to 16pc and reduce noise emissions by 40pc, while offering 4pc more seats per flights (197 v 189).
Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer Mick Hickey said: “This all new Max 737 aircraft has eight more seats than our current 189 seat Boeing 737-800s and incorporates the latest technology engines and winglets which reduces fuel consumption and noise emissions. Ryanair is proud to partner with Boeing and has operated an all-Boeing fleet since 1994.”
Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Senior Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, Ihssane Mounir, said: “The 737 MAX with 197 seats provides Ryanair with the perfect solution for its additional capacity requirements as it strives to carry 200m passengers per year by the middle of the next decade.
“The 737 family has been the foundation on which Ryanair has revolutionised low-cost travel in Europe and we are honoured that this iconic operator continues to grow in partnership with Boeing.”
