Ryanair Expects Lower Summer 2020 Growth, to Close Bases on Boeing MAX Jet Delays
July 16 2019 - 2:54AM
Dow Jones News
By Oliver Griffin
Ryanair Holdings PLC (RYA.LN) on Tuesday said delays in
deliveries of Boeing Co. (BA) MAX aircraft mean it expects lower
growth next summer and that it will have to make cuts and closures
at some of its bases from winter this year.
The low-cost airline carrier said it has cut its expected growth
rate in summer 2020 to 3% from 7% as problems with Boeing's 737 MAX
series have resulted in delayed aircraft deliveries.
Boeing's 737 MAX jet was grounded earlier this year following
fatal crashes in Ethiopia and off the coast of Indonesia in recent
months.
Ryanair said it remains committed to the 737 MAX jet and now
expects it will return to flying service before the end of 2019,
though an exact date remains uncertain.
Ryanair is waiting for delivery of Boeing's MAX200s--a variant
of the MAX aircraft--which aviation authorities will have to
certify separately. Ryanair said it expects the MAX200 to be
approved for flight service within two months of the 737 MAX jets'
return to service.
Ryanair said it will have to revise its summer 2020 schedule
based on 30 incremental aircraft, rather than 58. This also means
that passenger numbers in the year to March 2021 are now expected
to be around 157 million, down from 162 million.
This shortfall in aircraft deliveries will require some base
cuts and closures from this winter and going into next summer, the
airline said.
The company said it is starting talks with its airports to
determine which of Ryanair's underperforming or loss-making bases
should suffer the short term cuts and/or closures, which will start
in November.
Write to Oliver Griffin at oliver.griffin@dowjones.com;
@OliGGriffin
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 16, 2019 02:39 ET (06:39 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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