Ryanair expects further MAX delivery delays

Ryanair is not expecting to receive its first Boeing MAX aircraft delivery until September or October, rather than this spring. MAX aircraft were grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes. Boeing has been working on fixing a faulty anti-stall system but has not given a date for the MAX to be reintroduced. Ryanair says the new requirement for MAX simulator training will also slow down the delivery of backlogged aircraft and new deliveries.

"But we believe that these 'gamechanger' aircraft - with 4% more seats, burn 16% less fuel - when delivered, will transform our cost base and our business for the next decade," it said today, as it reported its third quarter results. "Due to these delivery delays, we won't see any of these cost savings until late in the 2021 financial year. As a direct result of these delivery delays, we plan to extend our 200 million a year passenger target by at least one or two years to 2025 or 2026."

But on a more positive note, Ryanair said strong Christmas and New Year bookings have helped it swing back into profit in the third quarter. It reported a profit of €88 million compared to a €66 million loss in the same quarter last year. Traffic grew 6% to 36 million passengers and revenue per passenger rose 13%.

It said forward bookings for the fourth quarter are 1% ahead. As a result, Ryanair's full-year profit after tax guidance has risen to a range of €0.95 billion to €1.05 billion.