Ryanair Orders Three More Boeing 737-800s

European low-cost giant Ryanair has announced an order for three more Boeing 737-800s.

Boeing values the order, which was previously allocated to an unidentified customer on the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website, at $280 million at current list prices.

Five new Ryanair Boeing 737-800s are seen here parked on the delivery ramp at Boeing Field in Seattle. Note the bulk of Mount Rainier looming in the distance, to the south

With this order, the Irish low-cost carrier now has unfilled orders for 174 Boeing 737-800s and 100 737 MAX 200s. (The 737 MAX 200 is a 200-seat version of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 which the manufacturer is developing specifically at Ryanair’s behest). Ryanair also holds options on an additional 737 MAX 200s.

“We are pleased to announce the purchase of three more Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft, which will be delivered in early 2016, bringing our total recent orders to 183 737-800s, in addition to further orders for up to 200 ‘gamechanger’ Boeing 737 MAX 200 aircraft,” says Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair.

“These Boeing aircraft orders will allow us to expand our fleet to over 520 aircraft and to increase our traffic to 160 million customers per annum by 2024, creating some 10,000 new positions for pilots, cabin crew and engineers, as we continue to grow tourism, routes and jobs across Europe,” adds O’Leary.

A new Ryanair Boeing 737-800 takes off from Renton Municipal Airport, where Boeing’s phenomenally busy and space-constricted 737 final assembly line is located

Ryanair operates the largest all-Boeing fleet in Europe, with more than 300 737-800s in service. It is also the biggest customer for the aircraft type, ordering more than 530 737-800s throughout its history.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland’s capital city, Ryanair operates more than 1,600 flights daily from 72 bases, connecting 189 destinations in 30 countries.

With a staff of more than 9,700 employees, the airline flew more than 86 million passengers in 2014. Ryanair expects to carry more than 100 million passengers in 2015.