Ryanair fares expected to get more expensive this summer due to aircraft problems

29.02.2024 - 00:07 / euronews.com / Rebecca Ann Hughes / Airlines

Your summer holiday might be more expensive this year if you are planning on flying with some European companies.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has said fares will be higher during the summer months due to the delayed arrival of new Boeing planes.

The late delivery of the Boeing 737 aircraft means the airline will have reduced capacity for passengers, chief executive Micheal O’Leary said.

He also predicted fares across the board would rise due to problems with another aircraft supplier.

During a briefing at Ryanair headquarters in Dublin, O’Leary reportedly announced that airfares with the Irish budget airline could increase by 10 per cent this summer.

O’Leary blamed the hike on the delayed delivery of 57 B737 Max aircraft. The planes were scheduled to arrive by March but only 40 to 45 look likely to be in service by the summer, the company said.

The hiccup comes as Boeing faces scrutiny following an incident earlier this year when part of the fuselage of a 737 Max 9 blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight.

Increased quality control at the aircraft manufacturer has slowed production and delivery times.

O’Leary says Ryanair’s summer schedule was built based on receiving at least 50 new planes from Boeing.

If only 40 aircraft are delivered by the end of March, the airline will have to make “schedule cuts [...] mostly on routes with high daily frequencies,” the CEO said.

Ryanair’s busiest routes in 2023 were Rome to Catania, Rome to Palermo and Rome to London.

Instead of the carryings of 205 million passengers predicted by the end of March 2025, the airline says it will probably be forced to cut that to 200 million.

“We’re doing our budgets based on a fare increase of 5-10 per cent, which to me feels kind of reasonable,” he is reported to have said during the briefing.

“It could be higher than that, it could be lower than that, we don’t really know.”

A Boeing spokesperson responded to Ryanair’s comments saying, “We are communicating with customers that some delivery schedules may change as we take the necessary time to make sure that every airplane we deliver is high quality and meets all customer and regulatory requirements.”

“We deeply regret the impact this is having on our valued customer Ryanair. We’re working to address their concerns and taking action on a comprehensive plan to strengthen 737 quality and delivery performance.”

O’Leary also forecast that there would be a “higher fare environment across Europe” this summer.

Issues with Pratt & Whitney engines on Airbus A320 aircraft will require some to be grounded at companies including Wizz Air and Lufthansa.

“EU shorthaul capacity, which is operating only at 90 per cent of pre-Covid, will be constrained all summer long. Most of Europe is an A320 and Airbus