Boeing, Ryanair make $22 billion deal for 737 MAX-200
Sep 8, 2014, 7:55 AM | Updated: 10:33 am
The 737 MAX-200 is a variant of the 787 MAX-8 with room for 11 more seats. (Image courtesy Boeing)
(Image courtesy Boeing)
Low-cost European carrier Ryanair is sitting at the end of Boeing’s rainbow.
The Irish airline continued its commitment to Boeing with an order for up to 200 737 MAX-200s, worth an estimated $22 billion. Ryanair flies only Boeing aircrafts. The order is for 100 of the planes with an option for 100 more.
The 737 MAX-200 is a variant of the 737 MAX-8 with room for 11 more seats. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary believes each of those extra seats is worth $1 million a year on every airplane.
“I feel like a child who’s woken up on Christmas morning unwrapping his presents and finding that Santa Claus has given him exactly what he asked for,” O’Leary said at Monday’s announcement in New York.
Boeing CEO of Commercial Airplanes Ray Conner called the announcement a game-changer. “We are very proud to have Ryanair as the launch customer for the 737 MAX-200,” he said.
Ryanair expects delivery of the first airplane in this series in 2019. O’Leary will be in Renton Tuesday to take delivery of his first 737NG.
O’Leary was wearing a Seahawks Earl Thomas jersey at the announcement.
