Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has stated that ongoing delivery delays from Boeing will continue to hinder the airline’s growth next year, although he is optimistic about receiving 50 aircraft by winter or before peak summer 2025.
The airline has engineers stationed at Boeing facilities in Seattle and Wichita to monitor production, as Boeing struggles to meet its monthly production targets, hindering growth at the airport.
Despite some improvements in Boeing’s production quality, which has reportedly reached a “top-class” standard, O’Leary reiterated concerns about previous aircraft quality issues that led to longer post-delivery inspection times.
Last month, Mr O’Leary told Travel Extra that there was a risk Ryanair would take delivery of just 20 to 25 of the 737 Boeing Max jets it has on order before next summer, compared with the 29 that are scheduled for delivery.
Michael O’Leary said: “We have quality control engineers on the ground in Wichita, where they make the hulls and fuselages, and also in Seattle, where they finish off the aircraft. The quality of what’s being produced is now top-class. They believe that the management changes over the last 12 months have seen significant improvements in the quality of the fuselages being brought to Seattle. They’re now defect-free. Previously, they were moving fuselages with defects to be rectified in Seattle. The quality of what’s being produced is now top-class.”
