Ryanair has warned they are planning to make cuts and closures this winter of some of their bases as a result of delays to aircraft deliveries due to the Boeing 737 saga.
The low cost airline said they are taking action to reduce their services after they have slashed their expected growth rate for the summer of 2020 from 7% to 3%.
The airline has said they “remained committed” to the B737MAX aircraft and expect the Boeing 737 will return back to service by the end of the year.
Ryanair’s plans will cut its aircraft to 30 from 58 by next summer, passenger traffic growth is now forecast at around 157m for the year to March 2021, down from 162m as previously expected.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said, “Ryanair remains committed to the B737 MAX aircraft, and now expects that it will return to flying service before the end of 2019 – however, the exact date of this return remains uncertain.
“Boeing is hoping that a certification package will be submitted to regulators by September with a return to service shortly thereafter.
“We believe it would be prudent to plan for that date to slip by some months, possibly as late as December.”
He added, “This shortfall in aircraft deliveries will necessitate some base cuts and closures for summer 2020, but also for the winter 2019 schedule.”
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