Ryanair has just announced its biggest aircraft order ever… I guess Boeing was willing to cut the airline a deal. 😉
In this post:
Ryanair adding 228-seat Boeing 737 MAX 10 to fleet
Ryanair has announced an order for up to 300 Boeing 737 MAX 10s, including 150 firm orders and 150 options. For context, the 737 MAX 10 is the largest variant of the 737 MAX, and Ryanair intends to equip these planes with 228 seats.
Compared to the previous generation 737-800s that Ryanair flies, the airline expects these planes to offer 21% more seats, 20% less fuel burn, and be 50% quieter. Those are some amazing economics.
Ryanair intends to use 150 of these planes to replace 737-800s, and the remaining 150 planes (if that order is finalized) to grow its fleet, as the airline hopes to serve 300 million passengers annually by 2034.
Ryanair expects to take delivery of its 737 MAX 10s between 2027 and 2033. However, keep in mind that the aircraft hasn’t actually been certified yet, and has experienced significant delays, so it’s anyone’s guess if that timeline sticks.
Ryanair already operates a fleet of over 500 Boeing 737s, and that consists of over 400 737-800 and over 100 737 MAX 8s. The airline has an additional 100+ 737 MAX 8s on order.
Ryanair actually flies a slightly modified version of the 737 MAX 8, which is referred to as the 737 MAX 8-200. What’s different about the plane? Well, as you’d expect, Ryanair wants as dense of a configuration as possible, so these jets have 197 seats.
However, the standard exit configuration isn’t sufficient for the number of seats, so this modified 737 MAX 8 has an additional exit toward the back of the cabin. So while the standard version of the 737 MAX 8 has two sets of doors and two overwing exits on each side, the 737 MAX 8-200 has three sets of doors and two overwing exits on each side.
Did Ryanair get a great deal from Boeing, or…?
Ryanair is an opportunistic airline in just about every aspect of business. Ryanair placed its last Boeing 737 MAX 8 order in December 2020, shortly after the jet was “ungrounded,” and when not many consumers had confidence in the plane.
We’ve known that the airline has been negotiating to acquire additional Boeing 737 MAXs since then, though talks seemingly stalled about a year ago, when Boeing and Ryanair couldn’t agree on a price.
So it’s interesting to see that the two companies could finally come to an agreement. As Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary described this deal during a press conference today “we had a bit of a dust up over pricing about a year ago, but now we’ve got this worked out.”
So, did Ryanair have the upper hand in negotiations, or did the airline just finally realize it wasn’t going to get a better deal? My guess is that the truth is somewhere in the middle:
- On the one hand, Boeing isn’t in an ideal spot, with the Boeing 737 10 not even being certified yet, plus the latest production issues with the 737 MAX
- On the other hand, 737 MAX production slots are quickly filling up and airlines are ordering the jet, so if Ryanair wants to renew its fleet, it had to place an order sooner or later
Bottom line
Ryanair has placed its largest order ever with Boeing, for up to 300 737 MAX 10s. This includes a firm order for 150 planes, plus options for a further 150 planes. These planes will be configured with 228 seats, and should be the densest narrow body planes in the sky. However, don’t expect them to join Ryanair’s fleet until 2027 at the earliest.
I think we were all expecting Ryanair to eventually order the 737 MAX 10, it was just a function of when the airline could get the right price from Boeing.
What do you make of Ryanair’s Boeing 737 MAX 10 order?
We have being flying with Ryanair for over 10 years..Never been a problem as long as you do what they ask. We live in Tenerife and during covid they were one of the main stays from here to the UK. There pricing is very good. I know they are like a bus in the Sky but the price reflects all...Good job Ryanair.. laurie.
They would have to be pilotless ..crews are leaving in their 100s...
wouldn't travel with Ryanair anyway or any airline flying the Max so I guess this comment is irrelevant
EZY has 321s at 235 and Wizz at 240. Pax complaining about density should know RYR is maybe even wider than other carriers
A good reason not to fly them. They are now on my permanent do not fly list due to this, and other factors with them last summer. I actually enjoyed flying BA intra Europe. So that will be the airline of choice from now on.
Maybe an Opportunity for Qatar Airways to dump and get out of the 737 MAX-10 which was a last-resort order after the Airbus fiasco and that they probably do not want anymore. (Also, it would be a bonanza for the seat manufacturers).
lol Ryanair is the Air Canada of Europe when it comes to density. Air Canada flys 777-300 with 450 seats :)
for all naysayers about Ryanair...check the facts...It is the most profitable airline in the world. It starts with buying airframes well.
This is going to be a bad experience for passengers.
Given the likes of BA actually deliver a lower seat pitch (and WORSE IT / comms) at a FAR higher price, think that's industry wide
Another reason to not fly Ryanair. Unless you are into assisted suicide.
@Ben, a minor typo in the story. The second section is titled - Did Ryanair “got”. It should be Did Ryanair “get”.
I think you overstate the amount of a bind Boeing was in here.
The max delays are on a few frames for the rest of the year. Compensation from that will barely move the needle.
Ryanair certainly has paid higher than they would’ve a year ago. Slots are selling out on the max program. And a slot is a lot irrespective of the variant
Agree, I don't know if the price was above what they could've gotten a year ago, but it certainly wasn't better, and overall terms probably aren't better either.
Boeing's been doing pretty well lately, and at this point in time there's no reason for them to make concessions even to such a major client, not to mention O'Leary has been acting a bit capricious past few years.