DUBLIN (Reuters) – Boeing’s strike could hit production at the U.S. planemaker and reduce the number of planes Ryanair receives by next summer from 25 to 20, the Irish airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary told Newstalk radio on Saturday.
According to the latter, the low-cost airline group, one of Boeing’s largest customers, was originally supposed to receive 30 737 MAX planes before the summer of 2025 but operational problems at Boeing have pushed the planemaker to cut this figure to 25.
With the strike that began on Friday by Boeing workers on the American West Coast, Michael O’Leary estimates that Ryanair could receive only 20 planes if the movement continues for three to four weeks.
Boeing has pledged to ramp up production by the end of the year after supply chain issues and a production slowdown following a mid-flight incident on January 5 involving a 737 MAX 9.
According to Michael O’Leary, it would probably take Boeing two to three years to get back on track.
The aircraft manufacturer and union representatives are due to resume negotiations early next week in an attempt to end the strike.
(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Kate Entringer; Writing by Catarina Demony)
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