Well it’s been coming, and it seems Ryanair and Boeing have come to terms over a new order, with Ryanair going for 175 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
These will compliment Ryanair’s current 737-800 fleet, with 75 aircraft to be used to replace some existing aircraft, whilst 100 aircraft are to be used for expansion purposes.
Delivery of the aircraft will be through to December 2018.
So the big question is why Ryanair didn’t go for the 737-8MAX instead?
Whilst Ryanair is evaluating the new plane, there will be costs to running a fleet that is different to its existing fleet. In addition, the benefits of the 737-MAX series have yet to proven as cost saving enough – at least to Ryanair. By using existing classes of aircraft, Ryanair keeps its cost down.
they didn’t get the max because of price.
Ryanair wants lowest cost and quick delivery, and Boeing needs to sell off those interim delivery slots. Not sure how many Max’s could be on property before 2018. It makes perfect sense.
Also, given Ryanair’s relatively short stage lengths, they don’t need the range benefit of the Max. Additionally, some of the fuel burn savings are negated by the weight penalties on short segments.
The nextgen 737-800s offer the best value for Ryanair, and provide Boeing with some needed NG orders. Win-Win!