Airfare prices may rise this summer due to problems with Boeing aircraft.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said Alaskan Airlines has grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following the incident, which will have a direct impact on airfare this summer. The Sun reports this.
“Capacity is a major issue and airfare prices, particularly in the height of summer, will be higher as there will be less short-haul capacity in Europe,” O’Leary said.
He also warned that the budget airline would be “10 planes short” this summer due to delays in deliveries of its own Boeing jets. According to him, the company should receive 57 aircraft by the end of April, and will probably be able to receive another 50 by the end of June.
“So we’ll be left with five, seven, maybe 10 aircraft for the peak summer season this year,” O’Leary added.
Boeing plane incident
On January 5, during a flight in the United States, an Alaska Airlines passenger Boeing 737-9 “lost” part of the fuselage. Because of this, the crew was forced to make an emergency landing. Flight 1282 was flying from Portland to Ontario, California.
Later, after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 737 MAX 9 aircraft due to the Alaska Airlines incident, Boeing shares fell 8.7%. Thus, the manufacturer can lose billions of dollars.
