Ryanair to start MAX operations on UK routes

Ryanair Holdings is looking to deploy its forthcoming B737-8-200s to the United Kingdom in the first stage, the Chief Executive of the group’s main carrier Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int’l) said during an interview with Ireland’s Newstalk radio. “We will be taking delivery of the MAX this summer, and we will be deploying those probably initially in the UK,” Eddie Wilson said. He did not elaborate on any further details. The airline did not respond to ch-aviation’s query on whether the aircraft would be operated by Ryanair UK (RK, London Stansted). Following its incremental order in December 2020, the Irish low-cost carrier currently has 210 B737-8-200s due from Boeing. Although this variant has yet to be certified, Ryanair expects to start taking deliveries this spring with a total of 50 units due to arrive by the end of the year. The first six aircraft have already been assigned to the group’s Polish subsidiary, Buzz (RR, Warsaw Modlin), and will be the first aircraft in Buzz’s own livery. Ryanair recently cancelled all domestic services within the UK and services to destinations outside of the European Union, blaming the UK Civil Aviation Authority for an alleged about-turn in its wet-leasing policy. According to the airline, the regulator has prevented it from using Ryanair aircraft to operate the flights under Ryanair UK’s code. Currently, the group’s British unit has only a single B737-800 registered in the UK. The CAA responded that it did not change its policy and had always maintained that a British airline’s backbone operations could not rely on aircraft wet-leased from another country, even if it is an intra-group ACMI arrangement.