Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, is said to be on the verge of signing a massive new aircraft order with Boeing, sources cited by Bloomberg and Reuters have claimed.
If true, Boeing is on the brink of selling as many as 150 of its 737 MAX-10 aircraft to the Dublin-based airline. The potential deal is for a firm order of 100 aircraft plus options for an additional 50 planes.
The 737 MAX-10 is the largest variant of Boeing’s 737 MAX family, measuring 43.8 metres in length and with capacity for between 188 and 228 passengers in a one-class configuration.
The deal would be a huge coup for Boeing after Ryanair walked away from negotiations in late 2021, claiming that the U.S. aerospace giant was unwilling to offer a big enough discount for the order.
Shortly after talks fell apart, Ryanair’s outspoken boss Michael O’Leary said the discounter was willing and able to play a waiting game with Boeing until the manufacturer lowered its prices.
Ryanair has built its entire fleet with Boeing 737 aircraft, which, you might be mistaken for thinking, would give Boeing the upper hand in pricing negotiations.
Aircraft pricing, however, comes in cycles which are based on demand and a whole slew of external factors. O’Leary had indicated that Ryanair was willing to wait until a new crisis (referring to the pandemic) before it secured a deal with Boeing when demand and prices would be suppressed.
“We’re not wasting any time on those MAX 10 discussions, nor will we for a period of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 years until we get to the next crisis,” O’Leary said in September 2021. “We at Ryanair have always had the discipline to wait out the cycle.”
The deal is expected to be formally announced as early as Tuesday afternoon.
