Why Ryanair’s CEO Says The COMAC C919 Is Good For Western Airways

Ryanair’s CEO has revealed that the launch of the COMAC C919 can be excellent news for airways within the West. Nonetheless, that is maybe not for the explanations that you simply suppose. Michael O’Leary means that taking on Chinese language airline orders would weaken the order books of Airbus and Boeing, creating alternatives for non-Chinese language airways.

The first industrial COMAC C919 was delivered to China Jap earlier this 12 months. Whereas it should nonetheless be some time earlier than changing into a daily sight in China, it will likely be even longer earlier than the jet turns into a well-known sight exterior the nation. Whereas Michael O’Leary has beforehand recommended that Ryanair would have an interest within the plane, severe plans for the airplane appear to be a great distance off.

Sluggish to get going

Easy Flying received to take a seat down with O’Leary final week on the sidelines of the Airways For Europe summit held in Brussels. One subject we didn’t wish to depart off was the COMAC C919. Talking on the subject, O’Leary advised Easy Flying that this system nonetheless wanted to get off its toes, commenting,

“They’ve been very gradual with this system. There’s no availability in the meanwhile, the Chinese language have mopped up the primary couple of hundred orders anyway… COMAC should not producing the plane in any vital portions.”

Excellent news for Western carriers?

However why would the COMAC C919 be good for Western carriers if we received’t see it gracing the skies any time quickly? The reply lies within the Chinese language order, in accordance with O’Leary, with the Ryanair boss telling Easy Flying,

“If they’ll take up numerous the Chinese language home orders, nice! That can weaken the order books of each Airbus and Boeing and that will be good for airways within the West… We wish to actively encourange and promote a 3rd producer on the planet. It will be good for all airways to have three producers.”

Not related but

It appears that evidently given all this, O’Leary doesn’t suppose that COMAC can be a risk in the meanwhile, including,

“The COMAC plane and availability isn’t going to be an element I believe till the second half of the 2030s, so it’s not related to us in the meanwhile…”

Ryanair isn’t any stranger to the C919

The considered the C919 isn’t a wierd one for Ryanair. In 2011 the Irish LCC signed a memorandum of understanding with COMAC for a 200-seat variant of the C919. O’Leary advised Easy Flying three years in the past that “we’re nonetheless dedicated to the COMAC program.”

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