Ryanair again cuts traffic target as Max deliveries fall short

Ryanair has cut is traffic target for the fiscal year beginning April 2025 after learning that Boeing will be unable to deliver sufficient 737 Max 8-200s to meet a passenger target that had already been revised downwards.

The Irish low-cost carrier had said in November last year that it expected to serve 210 million passengers in fiscal year 2026 but, on 27 January, revised that figure to 206 million – or around 3% year-on-year growth from the “almost 200 million” it expects to serve in the year ending 31 March 2025.

It cites Boeing’s recovery from strike action in 2024 as being behind the worse-than-expected delays.

Ryanair says it is “hopeful” that Boeing will deliver the outstanding 29 Max jets from its order for 210 units before March 2026, meaning it aims to catch up with the lost growth this year in the summer of next year. That implies the carrier expects to have added nine Max jets to its fleet before summer 2025, from the 172 it had on 31 December 2024.