Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, has announced that it will be making cuts to its winter schedule due to delays in the delivery of Boeing aircraft. The budget airline, one of Boeing's biggest customers, had initially expected to receive 27 aircraft between September and December. However, production delays at a Boeing facility in Kansas and delivery delays in Seattle mean that Ryanair will now only receive 14 aircraft between October and December.
As a result of the delays, Ryanair will be implementing flight cancellations starting from the end of October. The affected passengers will be notified via email in the coming days. Despite the disruptions, the airline has stated that its full-year traffic forecast is not currently affected, but suggests that it may need to revise the figure downward if the delays worsen or extend into the first quarter of 2024.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary expressed his disappointment in the delivery delays and noted that if they persist, it could impact their full-year traffic target of 183.5 million passengers. However, he also emphasized that they are committed to working with Boeing to resolve the situation and minimize the impact on their operations.
This is not the first time Ryanair has faced challenges with delayed deliveries from Boeing. Last year, the airline encountered similar issues that affected their 2023 summer season. However, they recently reached a deal with Boeing for the purchase of up to 300 aircraft, which was seen as a sign of improving relations between the two companies.
The impact of the cuts will be felt in several European airports, including Charleroi in Belgium, Dublin in Ireland, and airports in Italy such as Bergamo, Naples, and Pisa. Additionally, reductions will also be made at East Midlands airport in the UK, Porto in Portugal, and Cologne in Germany.
Despite the setbacks, Ryanair is working to accelerate deliveries in the January to May 2024 period so that they can enter the peak travel season with all aircraft delivered as expected. They had originally anticipated the delivery of 57 Boeing aircraft between September 2023 and May 2024.