737 Max: Ryanair calls on Boeing to “significantly improve” its quality controls

Door torn off in mid-flight, nuts poorly screwed... The manufacturer Boeing must “considerably improve” its quality controls, said the boss of the Irish airline Ryanair Michael O'Leary in the Financial Times this Tuesday, January 9, after an incident spectacular Friday in the United States on a 737 MAX from the American manufacturer and flaws discovered on other examples after inspection. Michael O'Leary also called on Airbus to do the same.

Ryanair "does not have any MAX 9 aircraft in service or on order", however specified the company in a statement sent to AFP, in reference to the Boeing 737 MAX 9 model, of which an Alaska Airlines aircraft lost one carries in mid-flight on Friday.

Ryanair only has Boeing 737s, another version of this aircraft. But this major Boeing customer has repeatedly complained about the manufacturer's delivery delays, even though he believes that the manufacturer "is in the process of resolving its problems." “The problem which affected the Alaska plane does not apply to the MAX 8 plane, operated by Ryanair, nor to the MAX 10s that Ryanair has on order,” assured AFP the company, which ordered in last May 300 737 MAX 10 planes.

Airbus and Boeing “are both behind schedule in their plans to increase monthly production. "A lot of this is due to supply chain pressures," Michael O'Leary told the Financial Times. Air fares, particularly in the high summer season, will be affected, he believes: they will be “higher because there will be less capacity on short distances in Europe”. This will also weigh on his company's results to the tune of "probably 2% or 2.5% of profits", he told the economic daily.

Ryanair announced in November a sharp increase in profit for its staggered first half, driven in particular by “record” traffic last summer and rising prices.