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Ryanair has warned passengers that hundreds of UK flights could be cancelled next summer due to a global shortage of new aircraft caused by Boeing production delays.
On Wednesday, Michael O’Leary, CEO of the Irish airline, expressed “short-term” frustration that “we won’t get all 30 aircraft”. He warned that this would result in “slowing down growth for summer 2025,” at an industry conference in Brussels.
Ryanair is Boeing’s largest customer in Europe and expects to receive 30 Boeing 737 aircraft between March and June 2025 to fulfil its growth plans.
The budget carrier relies on Boeing 737 deliveries to meet targets, including a passenger increase from 200 million to 300 million by 2034, report the Financial Times.
Union machinists from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Boeing’s largest union, have been on strike since 14 September over pay frustrations, halting the crisis-struck manufacturer’s supply chain.
Ryanair said that Boeing’s operational issues had already brought the number of aircraft delivered down to 25.
Boeing said on Tuesday that it could raise up to $25 billion (£19bn) in new stock or debt to shore up its balance sheet after years of heavy losses since two 737 Max jets crashed in 2018 and 2019 killing 346 people.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said: “Boeing is too American to fail, so the management are prepared to sustain a long strike. But it will directly impact millions of passengers in the UK and beyond, with fewer flights pushing up fares.”
Other European airlines are also struggling with the aircraft shortage.
Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific and Emirates bosses have all expressed irritation about delays to the delivery of Boeing’s long-haul 777X.
Ryanair lowered its passenger traffic estimates for 2025 from 215 million passengers to 210 million in response to the capacity constraints.
Mr O’Leary added that flights may also be axed if chancellor Rachel Reeves raises aviation taxes in the Budget.
According to Ryanair, an increase in air passenger duty (APD), currently £7 for internal flights, would mean a decrease in customer demand and a “cut in capacity”.
The airline has already cut 12 per cent off its capacity to protest high taxes in Germany.
At the Brussels meeting Mr O’Leary called APD a “penal tax on the poor”, reported the Telegraph.
Simon Calder said: “Given the number of taxes that Labour promised not to raise, air passenger duty looks certain to increase in the Budget.
“One of several bizarre anti-rail decisions by Rishi Sunak was to halve the rate of APD for domestic flights in the UK – chiefly benefitting airlines and their passengers between Edinburgh and London to the detriment of train operators.
“Reversing that decision, perhaps with special treatment for Northern Ireland given the absence of fast terrestrial alternatives, makes good sense – as does removing the strange exemption from APD that Inverness enjoys.”
The Independent has contacted Ryanair for comment.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
