The speculations of an Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair’s plans to boost its Boeing 737 MAX order from 135 to 200 jets or even more grows stronger with each passing day.
Having initially ordered 135 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft back on November 28, 2014, Ryanair seems to sharpen knives among its competitors as the beleaguered jet slowly returns to service. The low-cost carrier originally ordered 100 special variant Boeing 737 MAX 200 jets which were based on the 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The recent update of Boeing 737 MAX order book shows that the airline added 35 more jets reaching a total of 135 737 MAXs. Boeing has developed the new variant in the response to the prior forecasts of the fast low-cost sector growth.
The speculations on the order boost were followed by the recent report made by Reuters, saying that the Irish air carrier could possibly add more Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft to the existing order. However, speaking to the media on December 2, 2020, Michael O’Leary, the Chief Executive of Ryanair (the group), did not deny the order boost and told that the company would still focus on the initial MAX 200 order as the manufacturer pushed back the production of the MAX 10, the larger variant of the jet with seating capacity for 230 passengers, by two years. The airliner is now expected to enter service in 2022.
In October 2020, O’Leary hinted that the updated order would include a mix of MAX 10s and MAX 200 aircraft. Meanwhile, speaking to Newstalk, Eddie Wilson, the CEO of Ryanair (the airline), confirmed that the air carrier hoped to operate between 30 to 40 Boeing 737 MAX jets by the summer of 2021.
Following a statement on the air carrier’s website, Ryanair aims to rejuvenate its fleet and has ordered up to 210 new Boeing 737 planes, including “135 new Boeing 737 MAX 200s, and options for 75 more MAX 200s, which will enable Ryanair to grow its fleet to 585 by 2024”, stated on the website.
While waiting for Boeing 737 MAX deliveries, Ryanair operates a fleet consisting of 433 Boeing 737-800s and 23 Airbus A320 jets, showed Planespotters.com data.