While Ryanair has factored in continued delays to its incoming Boeing 737 Max 8-200s, the European low-cost carrier still believes the airframer is on track to certify the Max 10 version in time to meet deliveries in the first half of 2027.
The budget carrier, which has 150 firm Max 10s on order, with another 150 options, previously indicated it had hoped the Max 10 could follow Max 7 certification in the first half of next year.
Outgoing Boeing chief executive David Calhoun said in July that the long-delayed Max 10 – the largest variant of the 737 Max family – could be certificated by the Federal Aviation Administration in the first half of 2025.
While Ryanair now expects Max 10 certification will likely happen in the second half of 2025, it says that remains in line with first deliveries in the first half of 2027.
Speaking during a first-half results presentation today, Ryanair chief financial officer Neil Sorahan said: ”As things are going at the moment, we understand that the -7 is on track to be certified in the first half of 2025. If that happens, then I think there is a very good chance that the -10 will be certified in H2 2025, and that will put us still on the road to receive our first Max 10 in the first half of 2027.”
Last month Delta Air Lines said it was scheduled to receive its first Boeing 737 Max 10 in 2026, a year later than the US carrier previously expected to begin integrating the yet-to-be-certificated type into its fleet.
Ryanair today, in disclosing second-quarter profits, confirmed it had cut its 2026 financial year passenger target by 5 million because of expectations it will not receive all its Max 8-200 deliveries in time for next summer’s peak. It now sees passenger levels growing from a little below 200 million to 210 million for the year running to 31 March 2026.
“We were due to get 11 [Max 8-200] gamechangers in Q3,” says Sorahan. ”It looks like we’ll only get two. So nine of those will slip into Q4 as a result of the Boeing machinists strike.
“That leaves us with about 29 deliveries [this summer]. Again, I this some of those are going to slip. We are not going to get them all ahead of summer 2025. [We] might get 15 of them, so at this stage it’s sensible to plan our business on the basis of slower growth next year.”
