40 Boeing 737 MAX Jets for Ryanair by Mid-July

DALLAS — Ryanair (FR) CEO Michael O'Leary announced that the the airline expects Boeing to deliver 40 new jets by mid-July, as per the current revised schedule and despite Boeing's production woes.

O'Leary stated that FR plans to receive 35 planes from Boeing by the end of June and an additional five planes in the first two weeks of July. Initially, The carrier was supposed to receive 57 Boeing Max 8200 planes by the end of April, but due to the deepening crisis at Boeing, the delivery will be reduced to 40 jets by the end of June.

Last October, FR threatened to cancel Boeing 737 MAX orders if delivery dates slip to July or August 2024 from April. O’Leary, publicly criticized Boeing for ongoing delivery delays of the MAX jets.

At the time, Boeing’s announced of a reduced delivery forecast for 2023, with the number of narrow-body planes expected to be delivered dropping from 400–450 to just 375–400.

Ryanair's Italian Footprint

The CEO also expressed his expectation for FR to expand its leading position in the Italian market in the coming years, despite recent regulatory disputes. He mentioned that the airline would be interested in acquiring slots at Rome–Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), which may become available as a result of a planned combination between Lufthansa (LH) and ITA Airways (AZ).

As reported by breakingnews.ie, O'Leary also addressed the clash between his airline and Italy's antitrust regulator (AGCM), which stemmed from a dispute with companies including Spanish online travel agency eDreams. The AGCM has ordered FR to stop limiting or blocking the sale of its flight tickets by travel agencies.

The Irish ULCC plans to appeal any definitive ruling against it to an Italian regional court and also intends to lodge a counter-complaint with the AGCM about eDreams' Prime membership service.

Ryanair is currently the largest airline operator in Italy. O'Leary stated that FR expects to carry 100 million passengers on Italian routes by 2030, up from 60 million this year. The Italian market may undergo changes if LH's plan to acquire a 41% stake in AZ receives European approval.

O'Leary expressed his support for the M&A process across Europe and believes that LH should be allowed to buy AZ with appropriate slot handover to protect competition in Milan-Linate Airport (LIN) and FCO.