Major European low-cost carrier Ryanair has warned travellers of the possibilities of rising airfares this summer.
Airline CEO Michael O’Leary warned that delivery delay problems of new Boeing aircraft could result in reduced passenger capacity.
Potential Air Fare Rises
O’Leary projected that ticket prices for the airline could be as much as 10% more expensive this coming summer.
According to the BBC, the airline anticipates that a planned March delivery will fall short. 57 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are scheduled for delivery next month.
The actual delivery may only see 40 to 45 aircraft arriving for the summer, according to Ryanair.
Ryanair has been amongst industry figures raising concerns about quality control issues which have dogged the US aircraft manufacturer. The ongoing issues have created a slowdown in new aircraft production.
Calls for Compensation
The problem with impending aircraft delivery delays has also moved Ryanair to demand compensation from US manufacturer Boeing.
O’Leary further warned that the airline was on the verge of cancelling some flights across the peak summer season as a consequence.
Problems arose with in-flight incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in January this year. Since then, Boeing has faced increasing scrutiny over its production values.
Affected airlines such as Alaska Airlines and Copa Airlines have joined calls for compensation due to losses incurred by the subsequent mandatory grounding of aircraft for inspection.
According to the Financial Times, CEO O’Leary stated at a press conference last week: “There is a debate with Boeing as to whether we’re entitled to some compensation for these delayed deliveries.”
“Our growth has been constrained because at this point in time we don’t really know how many aircraft we are going to get . . . there is a shit show going on in [Boeing’s main production line] Seattle,” he said.
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