Ryanair has announced the exercising of 25 Boeing 737 MAX 200 “Gamechanger” options and in so doing now has 135 firm orders for the new higher-capacity variant of the 737 MAX 8.
Ryanair first placed an order for 100 of the “Gamechanger” jets, with an option for a further ten, at the Paris Airshow in 2017. The new model has eight more seats than the Boeing 737-800NG.
According to Ryanair’s Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan, the “Gamechanger” option will see the incorporation of “the latest technology engines and winglets which will reduce fuel consumption and noise emissions, ensuring we remain Europe’s greenest, cleanest airline, while allowing us to continue to lower fares as we grow to 200m annual customers by 2024. We look forward to taking delivery of our first “Gamechanger” in Spring 2019.”
The “Gamechanger” aircraft will reduce fuel consumption by up to 16% and reduce noise emissions by 40%, while offering 4% more seats per flights (197 v 189) which will enable Ryanair to further reduce fares.
These aircraft, which are valued at more than US$3 billion at current list prices, increase Ryanair’s total orders to more than 650 Boeing 737’s since it first partnered with Boeing back in 1994, and form a critical part of the low-cost carriers plan to be servicing 200 million passengers per annum by 2024.
Ryanair currently has the youngest European all-Boeing fleet with an average age of six and a half years.
