Ryanair’s €40 billion order: Ireland’s largest aircraft deal | Season 3 – Episode 35
Wings May 19, 2023
As Europe’s cleanest and greenest airline group, Ryanair Holdings parent company of Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Buss, Lauda and Malta Air has ambitious goals for the future of air travel. In the biggest order ever placed by an Irish company, Ryanair is spending €40 billion on 300 new 737 MAX-10 aircraft for delivery between 2027 and 2033.
Today Ryanair operates 565 aircraft to 240+ destinations in 40 countries and in 2022 carried 142 million passengers.
However, every great success has to start small and this story starts in 1984 when Tony Ryan, Christopher Ryan and Liam Lonergan launched an airline named ‘Danren Enterprises,’ which was later renamed ‘Ryanair.’ In 1985, they began operations with a 15-seater EMB 110 Embraer Bandeirante turboprop aircraft, offering a 90-minute flight between Waterford and Gatwick Airport.
Ryanair went on to change the Irish aviation marketplace for ever by shattering the absolute monopoly held up until then by Aer Lingus who previously monopolised the Waterford and Gatwick route but who failed to stop the license from being granted. Ryanair had moved air travel away from being an infrequent luxury to be accessible for all.
Ryanair’s business model was simple and inspired by the revenue model pioneered by Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines in the 1990s. They offered passengers the lowest fares achievable through a strong emphasis on cost reduction, while ensuring uncompromised safety.
Ryanair’s tight cost control is the backbone of its low-price strategy, major elements of which include:
- The use of secondary airports.
- Rapid turnaround.
- Point-to-point routing.
- Single-family (Boeing) aircraft.
- No fuel surcharges applied.
- No-frills service
The 300 Ryanair aircraft are to be built by Boeing, which was founded in July 1915 as the Pacific Aero Products Co. by William Boeing. It was later renamed the Boeing Airplane Co. In November 1916, the first Boeing production aircraft, the Model C, made its inaugural flight over Lake Union in Seattle, Washington. In 1919, Boeing’s B-1, their inaugural commercial aircraft, transported mail from Seattle to Canada.
Boeing is a long-standing leader in commercial jetliner manufacturing. They produce the 737, 747, 767, 777 787 families of airplanes, along with the Boeing Business Jet range. With over 10,000 Boeing-built commercial jetliners currently in operation, they account for nearly half of the global fleet. Boeing also offers an extensive selection of freighters, with their planes carrying approximately 90 percent of the world’s cargo.
The Boeing 737 took its inaugural flight on April 9th 1960, marking the beginning of its remarkable journey. On March 28 1990, United Airlines received the 1,832nd 737, securing its position as the world’s top-selling jetliner.
Boeing introduced the 737 MAX in 2010 as an upgraded version of the 737, aiming for exceptional fuel efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the single-aisle market. The Ryanair Boeing 737-MAX-10 aircraft offer enhanced design compared to the MAX-9 model. They are 66 inches longer, have a wider middle exit door to accommodate 12 additional passengers feature modified main landing gear resembling the gear found on Boeing’s larger 777 airliner.
The LEAP-1B engines manufactured by CFM International, founded in 1913 by Karl Rapp at Munich’s Oberwiesenfeld are state of the art in terms of design and efficiencies. CFM state that their LEAP-1B engine supports 25-minute gate turnaround times and are able to fly a daily average of ten hours, up to eleven flight cycles with flights of up to eight hours. They make big claims of being able to deliver up to 20% fuel efficiency and that their LEAP-1B engine uses 66% less fuel than driving to your destination!!
As Europe’s cleanest and greenest airline group, Ryanair Holdings’ 300 Boeing 737-MAX-10 aircraft, will enable them to accommodate 21% more passengers, consume 20% less fuel and operate at 50% lower noise levels compared to their existing Boeing 737-NG fleet. This commitment to sustainability signifies a promising future for aviation.
Check out our previous Boeing video – ‘The luxury of the World’s only 1930s giant flying boat’ https://www.facebook.com/IrlMade/videos/50554106738351
Information sources:
CFM International
CR’s Video Vaults
Flying High at Ryanair – Rotman School of management
Ryanair Holdings
Ryanair Press Office
TBP HYMAR Aviation Videos – RTE
The Boeing Company
