Ryanair has said it expects the controversial Boeing 737 Max plane to be allowed to fly again in the US in the next month or so.
Ryanair said it hoped to start taking delivery of the aircraft early next year.
No Max planes have flown since March 2019 after issues with its software were linked to crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which killed 346 people.
The airline has firm orders for 135 MAX 200 aircraft, with a further order for the larger Boeing 737 MAX 10 potentially on the cards.
“The first of those we would hope to arrive in very early 2021,” Mr Wilson told Ireland’s News talk radio station.
However, the aircraft ordered by the Irish LCC is slightly different from your standard Boeing 737 MAX 8.
200 plus seats
Ryanair is looking to outfit its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with 200 seats. To make this possible, Ryanair ordered the 737 MAX 200, a specially designed high-capacity MAX 8 aircraft for low-cost carriers.
Back when Ryanair originally ordered the aircraft in 2014, it ordered 100 of the model.
To provide 200 seats on its 737 MAX, the seats will be arranged with 28 inches of pitch, making the airline level with rivals such as Wizz and even Iberia. Presently Ryanair’s current Boeing 737-800 aircraft have a pitch of at least 30 inches.
The Aircraft is based on the B737 MAX8 Airframe, which is itself designed to accommodate around 162–178 according to Boeing. The American manufacturer also states that the Ryanair B737 MAX 200 will seat up to 210 passengers.
Ryanair will need to outfit these aircraft with three lavatories, as is found on the airline’s current fleet. That means that the aircraft will have almost 67 passengers per toilet! However, such facilities are less essential for most travellers on the short hops that Ryanair is known for.
Emergency exits and seat pitch
To accommodate the higher number of passengers flying on board the 737 MAX, Boeing has specially designed the MAX 200 for Ryanair. The aircraft has additional emergency exit doors in the mid-fuselage In addition to the four main doors and four overwing exits currently found on the Ryanair 737-800 to allow for higher passenger numbers.
This means that the aircraft will have slightly more seats with extra legroom as it will have an additional emergency exit row.
Will 28 inches of pitch and a lack of bathrooms be more bearable when traveling over shorter distances? Only passengers experiencing these conditions will tell Yea or Nay.
Ryanair isn’t the type’s only customer. The additional emergency exit will also be seen on aircraft in Vietnam, thanks to a sizeable order from VietJet.
From the economic point of view, the 737 MAX 200 aircraft allows Ryanair to increase profit margins with a higher passenger load.
According to Boeing, the new B737 MAX 200 will give Ryanair 20% more fuel efficiency per seat than the most efficient single-aisle aircraft.
The emissions of the aircraft are also spread over more passengers, meaning that each passenger’s carbon footprint is lower. The aircraft has been specifically designed to cope with the high paced increase in demand in the low-cost market.
Boeing estimates that by 2033 the B737 MAX 200 will account for 35% of single-aisle aircraft capacity.
The FAA, which completed test flights last week, has invited comments from interested parties, with a deadline of 1 November.
