Short-haul aircraft capacity in Europe is going to continue to be challenging over the medium term, Ryanair chief executive officer Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday 19 April.
"I think over the medium term the inability of Airbus and Boeing to deliver any meaningful increase in production means, I think capacity is going to continue to be challenging for the next two, three, five years," O'Leary said on Bloomberg News.
Ryanair To Trim Summer Schedule Owing To Boeing Delays, Says CEO
The above news followed news that Ryanair will have to trim its summer schedule because it does not expect to receive all 24 of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft it was due by the end of July, group chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday 19 April.
"It's very disappointing," O'Leary told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Dublin.
Ryanair CEO Says Business Booming As Europeans Keep Spending
All of the above news followed news that Ryanair's business is "booming and getting boomier" with no sign of European consumers tightening their belts when it comes to travel, group chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday 19 April.
"I am surprised at the strength of spending in the European economy at the moment," O'Leary told a Bloomberg conference near Dublin.
"There is full employment, people are getting paid every month and they are spending - they are certainly spending on travel," said O'Leary, whose airline is Europe's largest by passenger numbers.
All of the above news was followed by the following update:
UPDATE 1-Ryanair To Trim Schedules As 10 Boeing Jets Likely Delayed
Ryanair will have to trim its July schedule because it expects around 10 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will be delayed due to manufacturing issues, group chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday 19 April.
"We are beginning to look at schedules maybe being about 10 short for July. We'll get maybe 12 by the end of June and then we hope 12 by the end of July," O'Leary told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Dublin. The airline had been due to receive 22 of the planes in June and two in July, he said.
"We will certainly have to trim some flights out of the system. I don't think there will be route cancellations."
The Irish airline in a statement on Friday 14 April said it was assessing with Boeing how delays, related to certain components made by one of the US firm's main suppliers, would impact its schedule.
The focus of any cuts, O'Leary said, would be on high-frequency routes such as those between Britain and Ireland.
Boeing has promised an updated delivery schedule by Friday, he said.
"So really we don't know where we are at the moment, which is very regrettable. This is the third unauthorised mod [modification] that we've suffered that have delayed deliveries so it's very disappointing," he said.
Read More: Ryanair Does Not Expect Major Disruption Due To Boeing Issues
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