Ryanair forced to cancel flights across Europe this summer – as well as raise ticket prices

RYANAIR  is cutting its summer flight schedule due to delays in the delivery of new Boeing 737 planes.

The budget airline said it has been forced to make “minor schedule changes” because of the delays.

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The airline said it was due to receive 57 new Boeing aircraft, but now expects the figure to be just 40.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said: “We are very disappointed at these latest Boeing delivery delays, but we continue to work with Boeing to maximise the number of new B737 aircraft we receive by the end of June, which we can confidently release for sale to customers during the summer 2024 peak.

“We will now work with Boeing to take delayed aircraft deliveries during August and September 2024 to help Boeing reduce their delivery backlog.

“We regret any inconvenience caused to some customers and our airport partners by these enforced summer 2024 schedule changes.”

How it will affect flights

Rather than cutting new routes, the budget airline will reduce frequencies on existing routes.

The airline has already implemented schedule cuts at “higher cost airports” like Dublin, Milan Malpensa, Warsaw Modlin and four Portuguese airports.

Mr O’Leary added: “We expect these latest Boeing delivery delays, which regrettably are beyond Ryanair’s control, combined with the grounding of up to 20% of our Airbus competitors’ A320 fleets in Europe, will lead to more constrained capacity and slightly higher air fares for consumers in Europe in summer 2024.

“We therefore urge all Ryanair customers to book early in order to secure the lowest available air fares for summer 2024.”

The news comes days after the Ryanair boss issued a warning that the airline’s ticket prices will increase by 10 per cent compared to last summer.

This is because the carrier’s growth in passenger numbers will be lower than expected because Boeing’s new aircraft deliveries are being delayed.

Last winter, Ryanair was also forced to cut back its flight schedule because of the aircraft delays, with the airline reducing the number of flights from East Midlands Airport and Dublin Airport.

The winter delays were attributed to the Spirit fuselage factory in Wichita, Kansas, combined with Boeing hold-ups in repairs and deliveries in Seattle, Washington.

Last summer, Ryanair was forced to cancel a number of flights because of strikes over pay and working hours.

Then in August, Micheal O’Leary  blasted the National Air Traffic Services after his airline was forced to cancel 250 flights thanks to the global meltdown that saw hundreds of thousands of Brits stranded.

Even though Ryanair is cutting back services on its summer schedule, plenty of other airlines are increasing their routes.

Budget airline easyJet will be the first UK airline to fly between London Gatwick and Salerno Airport on the Amalfi Coast.

The airline will fly twice weekly from London Gatwick to Pontecagnano (Salerno) Airport, which is currently undergoing a huge £400million renovation.

Meanwhile, British Airways will be resuming flights from London Stansted for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The flag carrier has confirmed three new routes will depart from the London airport, with prices starting at £36 for a one-way ticket.

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