Ryanair CEO Not Convinced Boeing Will Meet 737 MAX Delivery Plans

The Ryanair chief has had some choice words about the manufacturer.



A year ago, Ryanair confirmed that negotiations for a Boeing 737 MAX 10 order ended without an agreement. An order for this plane would have followed the deliveries of 210 MAX 8-200 units. Now, during a press conference that Simple Flying attended on Tuesday, the airline’s CEO, Michael O'Leary, took some time to share his thoughts about the current situation with the MAX series.

Read more: Ryanair flight briefly enters Belarusian airspace to avoid a thunderstorm

Program challenges

Even though Ryanair is putting its faith in the MAX to lead the airline during its continued recovery, the carrier’s leadership is skeptical about timelines. A total of 73 8-200s have been delivered to the company, allocated between the mainline, Malta Air, and Buzz. However, while Ryanair anticipates a busy winter period, backed by route expansions, it’s concerned about aircraft arrival timelines.

O’Leary is not a believer that delivery schedule challenges are primarily due to supply issues. He expresses that “there are surplus engines and are surplus wings,” that are just jotting around while there are hurdles on the manufacturing floor. He claims that there are other aircraft at the facility that haven’t been completely finished yet, creating a hold-up.

“It’s all backed up, and Boeing are running around in f*****g denial,” when it comes to blaming supply chains. O’ Leary concludes that “it’s not supply chains - it’s bad management in Seattle!’

MAX 10 timeline

Ryanair already being frustrated about the MAX program won’t do wonders with its potential of doing business regarding the MAX 10. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has previously hinted that 2022 MAX 10 certification is unlikely. It has also been previously highlighted that Boeing is unsure when it will be certified.

This week, O'Leary shared that he feels Boeing accepts that the variant won't get certified by the end of 2022 but suspects that US officials will approve an extension of the certification process until next year.

Plenty of activity

Ryanair’s first 737 MAX, EI-HEN, was delivered on June 16, 2021. It then entered service a week later to get MAX operations going for the airline. The planes have been spotted all over the carrier’s network. Some have been seen in the likes of Madrid, Gothenburg, Cork, Krakow, Tenerife, Rome, and Lanzarote. Others have been seen in spots such as Stockholm, Naples, Catania, Cologne, Oslo, and Valencia.

Flying to nearly 40 countries across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, these 8-200s have been heavily active in recent months. With the low-cost carrier only planning to grow, it's not a surprise that it's keen to get its hands on more deliveries as soon as possible.

We can expect to see numerous additional MAXs at airports worldwide in the coming years. Boeing shared late last month that it is ready to resume deliveries of the type in China. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia increased its MAX order, while Qatar Airways is looking forward to the MAX 10 joining its fleet. The aircraft is set to become a short and medium-haul powerhouse across the industry.

Simple Flying reached out to Boeing for comment. A spokesperson for the airline shared:

“We value our partnership with Ryanair and are committed to supporting them.”