STORY: Ryanair could look for an alternative aircraft supplier to Boeing because of U.S. tariffs.
That was the warning from company CEO Michael O’Leary Thursday (May 1).
He wrote in a letter the Irish airline would make the move if Washington’s tariffs affect the price of planes it has ordered from Boeing.
O’Leary added he would consider Chinese planemaker COMAC.
Ryanair is Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers.
It is due to take delivery of the final 29 aircraft from a 737 MAX order by March next year.
It also has 150 firm orders for the MAX 10, with the first deliveries due in two years.
But O’Leary called the U.S. government’s tariffs ‘ill-judged’.
He was responding to a warning by U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi against Ryanair buying Chinese-made aircraft due to security concerns.
That followed previous comments by O’Leary he would consider doing so at the right price.
O’Leary said in the letter the Irish airline has not had any discussions with COMAC about aircraft purchases since about 2011.
But he would consider it if they were 10%-20% cheaper than Boeing’s main rival Airbus.
