Ryanair Holdings Eyes Expansion and A320neo Transition for Lauda Europe

Ryanair Holdings is planning to significantly increase the Airbus fleet of its subsidiary Lauda Europe, with ambitions to reach around fifty narrowbodies, including a future transition to the A320neo Family post-2030. Group CEO Michael O’Leary highlighted the current challenge of aircraft availability due to Airbus’s delivery backlog extending to 2030, which affects the airline’s ability to secure new aircraft for Lauda Europe.

In the interim, Ryanair Holdings hopes to either extend current aircraft leases or secure additional leased A320ceo aircraft until an agreement can be reached with Airbus for new planes within the next decade. The consideration extends to both A320-200s and A321-200s, showcasing the group’s flexible approach to fleet composition.

Lauda Europe stands as an exception within Ryanair’s predominantly Boeing 737 fleet, a legacy from its origins as Austria-based Lauda (formerly LaudaMotion) following the airberlin group’s collapse. Despite previous contemplations to standardize the fleet across all Ryanair Holdings AOCs by switching to Boeing 737s, the current plan emphasizes the potential growth and modernization of Lauda Europe’s Airbus operations.

O’Leary expressed openness to maintaining a significant number of Airbus aircraft within the group’s fleet, contingent on overcoming the current procurement challenges. The cost associated with training pilots and crew for different aircraft types remains a key factor in the decision to keep the Airbus A320s operational within the fleet.

Currently, Lauda Europe operates a fleet of twenty-seven A320-200s, offering services exclusively under Ryanair’s ‘FR’ code. Ryanair Holdings’ broader fleet includes a B737-700, 396 B737-800s, and 145 B737-8-200s, spread across its Boeing-operating AOCs, including Ryanair, Buzz, Malta Air, and Ryanair UK, underscoring the group’s substantial scale and operational diversity.