Ryanair will have to cut back on its winter flight schedule due to delays in the delivery of new aircraft from Boeing.
The measure was announced this Thursday by the ultra low-cost airline, stating that they had agreed to the delivery of 27 planes between September and December, but due to delays in fuselage production at the Spirit plant in Wichita combined with other delays in Seattle, they now only expect to receive 14 new planes between October and December.
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Concurrently, Ryanair is working with Boeing to accelerate deliveries between January and May 2024 to reach the peak of the summer 2024 season with the 57 new aircraft they were expecting.
«It is deeply regrettable that production problems in Wichita, and in Seattle, have yet again delayed Boeing’s contracted deliveries to Ryanair this winter,» said Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair.
«We are in regular dialogue with Boeing, and our primary objective is to ensure we get delivery of all 57 contracted B737 aircraft before the end of May 2024, so that Ryanair’s fleet can grow to over 600 aircraft for what will be our largest ever summer flight programme,» he continued, emphasizing that they do not expect the delay in deliveries to substantially affect the goal of transporting 183.5 million passengers during the year. However, if these are extended to the January-March 2024 period, they may have to slightly adjust it downward.
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Ryanair’s adjustments
The ultra low-cost airline detailed that the delay in aircraft delivery from Boeing will result in a reduction of three aircraft based in Charleroi, two in Dublin, and five in Italy (Bergamo, Naples, and Pisa), as well as others in East Midlands, Porto, and Cologne.
Affected passengers will receive a message from Ryanair with options to reschedule their flights or get a refund.
