Ryanair worried about Boeing 737 MAX deliveries and certification

Ryanair on Monday Jul. 25 said that Boeing had warned it of possible delays to 21 737 MAX aircraft due for delivery before the end of the year and said it was also worried about the certification of the new MAX 10 aircraft.

Boeing remains a “major area of concern” for Ryanair, one of the U.S. aerospace giant’s leading customers, Group Chief Executive Michael O’Leary told investors on a call following the release of quarterly results.

Asked about O’Leary’s comments, a spokesperson for Boeing said it valued its partnership with Ryanair and was committed to supporting the Irish airline.

O’Leary said he was confident that Boeing would deliver all 50 737 MAX aircraft due by next summer but he was concerned about a possible repeat of delays this year that forced it to take deliveries during its busy summer season.

“In the last two weeks, we’re getting letters out of Boeing telling us there might be problems with 21 aircraft this side of Christmas,” O’Leary told investors on a conference call. A delay would be “inexplicable and unacceptable,” he added.

O’Leary said that he had been assured that Ryanair deliveries would take priority this winter.

Ryanair last year walked away from negotiations with Boeing for 200 of the MAX 10. The MAX 10 program, which has not yet been certified, received a boost at Britain’s Farnborough Airshow last week with Delta Air Lines ordering 100 and Qatar Airways 25.