‘Very disappointed’: Ryanair to cancel summer flights following severe delays in aircraft deliveries
The cancellations follow delays in aircraft deliveries
PA
Low-cost airline Ryanair has announced it will cancel flights over the summer of 2024 as it tackles severe delays in aircraft deliveries.
The Dublin-based company will be forced to scrap flights on high-frequency routes and make further “schedule changes” in the coming months.
Ryanair is set to receive 40 of the 57 planned Boeing 737 MAX 8200 planes before the end of June, it declared in a statement.
Its current summer schedule is based on it receiving the minimum number of 50 carriers, forcing it to adjust schedules throughout the peak season.
Michael O'Leary warned that prices on existing flights could increase
PA
“Ryanair will now have to reduce approximately 10 aircraft lines of flying for the peak summer months of July, August and September.
“This will cause minor schedule changes in the context of Ryanair’s 600 aircraft fleet and will reduce frequencies on existing routes rather than cutting new routes.”
Schedule cuts have already been introduced at several airports across Europe, including Dublin, Milan Malpensa and Warsaw Modlin.
The airline’s group chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said: “We are very disappointed at these latest Boeing delivery delays, but we continue to work with Boeing to maximise the number of new B737 aircraft we receive by the end of June, which we can confidently release for sale to the customer during the summer 2024 peak.”
Ryanair receives its carriers from the U.S. company Boeing, which has endured a string of technical complications in recent months.
More than 170 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes had to be grounded in January alone after Alaska Airlines lost a door mid-flight.
The manufacturer has been ordered to pause production by US regulators while it addresses quality control procedures.
As a result, Ryanair may have to mark up basic prices by 10 per cent on last year, O’Leary warned.
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Ryanair fares could increase by 10% by summertime
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The chief executive predicts that the 10 per cent jump in ticket prices will come into effect by summertime.
Mr O’Leary said: “Fares in summer 2024 are going to be up again in summer 2023. Over average airfares in summer 2023 rose 17 per cent.
“We’re doing our budgets based on a fare increase of five to 10 per cent, which to me feels kind of reasonable.
“It could be higher than that, it could be lower than that, we really don’t know. If capacity was growing, I think fares would be falling.”