Ryanair CEO Expresses Confidence In Boeing

(RTTNews) - Usually, a situation where a plane's doors come off mid-flight would shake the confidence of airline CEOs, who rely on customer trust for profits. However, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has expressed his support for Boeing despite the recent problems with its 737 Max 9 aircraft.

He believes that the issues are temporary and that Boeing needs to enhance the quality of its aircraft. This support from a major customer comes at a challenging time for Boeing, which is dealing with the aftermath of a fuselage breakage on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9, leading to the grounding of all Max 9s.

O'Leary has previously criticized Boeing and its CEO, Dave Calhoun, but he is still eager to receive his company's allotment of 737 Max 10s due to their higher passenger capacity and lower fuel costs. He has also expressed interest in acquiring any unwanted Boeing 737 Max aircraft, particularly those possibly abandoned by U.S. carriers.

O'Leary was particularly critical of United Airlines after comments last week from its CEO Scott Kirby, who said his carrier was examining "alternative plans" for fleet options without the Boeing 737 Max 10. United has more than 200 of them on order, and it has already been waiting five years for the first deliveries of the plane.

Ryanair currently operates the older Boeing 737-800, as well as a newer high-capacity variant of the 737 Max 8. Despite not operating any of the affected aircraft, O'Leary described the situation as "stupid." The Max 9 is now returning to service following FAA-mandated inspections. Alaska Airlines CEO, Ben Minicucci, also expressed his anger at the situation, but both executives maintain overall faith in the 737 Max program and its safety.