Ryanair may delay B737 MAX induction

Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int’l) is considering deferring the delivery of its B737-8-200s until after the Summer 2021 season to avoid inducting them during the busiest time of the year, Chief Executive Eddie Wilson told Reuters. “We need a definitive date [from Boeing] as to when we’re going to get the airplane and then we’ve got to decide… whether that suits us to take them or not because in the normal course of events we don’t take aircraft in the summer months,” Wilson said. Although Boeing certified the larger-capacity variant of the B737-8 on March 31, 2021, the manufacturer has yet to deliver a single unit of the type to Ryanair Holdings, the larger of only two known customers for the variant (the other being VietJetAir) so far. Wilson explained that the ongoing delays had been caused by bureaucratic hurdles concerning the approval of an additional door to accommodate the up to 197 passengers on board. “It’s really up to Boeing at Seattle to bed in that relationship with the FAA in dealing with issues of certification and how they have to do things differently. That’s what it looks like,” Wilson said. In late March 2021, Ryanair still expected to take sixteen B737-8-200s by the peak of the Summer 2021 season, although this number was already a significant downward revision from the original 40. In mid-May, Group Chief Executive Michael O’Leary admitted that the low-cost carrier was “quite upset” with the continuing delays and “did not necessarily believe” Boeing’s assurances that the first aircraft would deliver by the end of May. As it turned out, O’Leary’s concerns have been justified as May ended with zero deliveries. After firming options for 75 aircraft in December 2020, Ryanair currently has firm orders for 210 B737-8-200s. While the group has yet to formally unveil their initial routes or bases, the first aircraft are expected to be operated by its Ryanair UK and Buzz subsidiaries.