Ryanair calls off Boeing talks over B737 MAX 10 order

Ryanair Holdings has announced it has ended negotiations with Boeing over a potential B737-10 order due to a lack of agreement on pricing.

“We are disappointed we couldn’t reach agreement with Boeing on a B737 MAX 10 order. However, Boeing has a more optimistic outlook on aircraft pricing than we do, and we have a disciplined track record of not paying high prices for aircraft,” Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said.

“Ryanair is a long-standing partner. We value their business and are committed to supporting them. At the same time, we continue to be disciplined and make decisions that make sense for our customers and our company,” a Boeing spokesperson told Reuters.

The Irish holding has been hinting at a potential incremental order for up to 250 B737 MAX 10s since 2019. In early 2020, O’Leary indicated that a deal could be reached as part of a compensation package for the delayed deliveries of its B737-8-200s. However, formal talks only started in late 2020 and lasted around 10 months, Ryanair said.

O’Leary stressed that Ryanair Holdings has enough aircraft on firm orders to secure its capacity needs through 2025. Following an agreement reached in December 2020, the group increased its commitment for the B737-8-200s – a higher-capacity derivative of the B737-8 for which Ryanair is one of only two customers in the world besides VietJetAir – to 210 units. After a number of delays caused by first, the grounding of the entire B737 MAX Family and then slow type certification of the -200 variant, deliveries began in mid-June 2021. Thus far, Ryanair has taken six B737-8-200s and Malta Air another six. The group’s Polish unit, Buzz, is due to take its first B737-8-200 on September 9, 2021. The remaining B737-8-200s will deliver by the end of 2025.

While Ryanair’s B737-8-200 seats up to 197 passengers, an increase over the B737-800’s maximum capacity of 189 passengers in a single-class layout, the B737-10 would be able to carry up to 230 passengers.

Ryanair Holdings also operates 417 B737-800s split between Ryanair (251 units), Malta Air (120), Buzz (46), and Ryanair UK (two). Ryanair also operates a single B737-700. Lauda Europe is the group’s sole Airbus operator with twenty-nine A320-200s, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.