By Conor Humphries
DUBLIN (Reuters) -Ryanair is confident of receiving its first of 150 737 MAX 10 jets from Boeing on schedule in early 2027 but is also keen to boost the number of Airbus in its fleet when the chance arises, Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary said on Thursday.
Ryanair currently has around 600 Boeing 737 jets in its fleet and around 26 Airbus jets, operated by its Lauda subsidiary.
The MAX 10, the largest jet in the 737 family should be certified by the third quarter of 2026 and
Boeing has promised the first Ryanair delivery in the spring of 2027, O'Leary told a news conference.
"They've written to us confirming they expect to deliver those Max 10s to us in the spring of 2027... We do not believe there will be any delays to our first (delivery)," O'Leary told a news conference.
O'Leary said last month that he was "optimistic, but not confident" on the timing of the first tranche of 150 MAX 10 jets it has on order. His more upbeat assessment followed a conversation two weeks ago with Boeing commercial airplanes head Stephanie Pope.
Ryanair has never made a significant order from Airbus, but that could change in the coming years, O'Leary said.
"We have 600 Boeings today, 30 Airbuses. I would like to see that grow in the next number of years to maybe 800 Boeings, but maybe 200 Airbuses," O'Leary said in an interview after the news conference. "I'd like to see us have a significant Airbus operation."
The leases on the current Airbus jets run out in 2028, at which point Ryanair hopes to either do a deal for new Airbus aircraft for Lauda or find younger secondhand aircraft.
Ryanair would wait for an industry crisis of some kind before placing a large Airbus order, he said, possibly in the late 2020s or early 2030s.
(Reporting by Conor Humphries, writing by Padraic Halpin; editing by William James)
