Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair eyes further expansion of its Boeing 737 MAX order. But this time, it might add the largest variant of the jet, a report indicates.
Ryanair is reportedly eyeing an expansion of its Boeing 737 MAX order. The Irish low-cost carrier could also be adding a new variant of the 737 MAX family – the 737 MAX 10 – to its fleet, chief executive Michael O’Leary told the BBC.
“We’re certainly very keen to place a MAX10 order, but only when the timing and the pricing is right,” O’Leary was cited in the publication as saying.
Ryanair is a devote operator of the Boeing 737. In fact, in its 460-strong fleet, only 29 aircraft are of the different type ‒ all Airbus A320s. The A320s initially came to the group together with Lauda Motion ‒ an airline that Ryanair acquired in 2018 after its previous parent Air Berlin (AB1) went bankrupt the previous year. Since then, Lauda has retired its original Airbus planes but grew the number of leased A320-200s.
Ryanair currently has 420 737 NG and eight MAX 8200 planes, Planespotters.net data shows. The eight aircraft of the newest version are part of the airline’s order for 210 aircraft of the type.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8200 is a variant of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Developed specifically for low-cost carriers, the aircraft was specifically designed to maximize the seating capacity on single-aisle aircraft. Boeing and Ryanair launched the MAX 8200 in September 2014.
The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is the fourth member of the 737 MAX family, after the 7, 8, and 9 variants. It is also the largest to date, as it will be able to transport up to 230 passengers in a one-class configuration. The aircraft is still in development, having flown for the first time in June 2021.
