Ryanair expects to receive 40 Boeing planes by mid-July

Ryanair expects Boeing to deliver 40 new jets by mid-July, Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said on Wednesday, broadly in line with a revised schedule it has previously announced.

Speaking at a news conference in Rome, O’Leary said Ryanair plans to receive 35 plans from Boeing by the end of June and a further five in the first two weeks of July.

The company was initially due to receive 57 Boeing MAX 8200 planes by the end of April, but a deepening crisis at Boeing had meant it would deliver just 40 jets before the end of June, Ryanair said in March.

O’Leary also said he thought a plan for Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) to take a 41 per cent stake in Italian carrier ITA should go ahead but with stronger competition remedies.

Ryanair is also sticking with its plan to resume flights to Tel Aviv on June 3 but will reconsider if the situation is not safe, he added.