Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary speaking last Monday’s Ryanair Holdings plc Q2 2023 Earnings Conference Call (7 November) stated he saw opportunistically deals to bring some Boeing 737NG (-800 capacity) back into the fleet, where its financially attractive for the group to do so.

Michael O’Leary stated “We’ve done a deal for one additional NG that’s being offered back to us, that we used to operate on an operating lease. We’ve got a long-term low-cost lease rate on that”

In fact, I use the example, one of the aircraft we returned off an operating lease 2 years ago has now been offered back to us at a very significant discount. And we will opportunistically add aircraft in ones and twos where 737 sort of NGs, where there’s a kind of a financial intent to do so.”

We’re not looking to the secondhand market though. There isn’t much of a secondhand market out there at the moment on NGs. A lot of those aircraft have gone back into cargo conversion programs, et cetera”.

The lessor was not identified for the transaction.

The aviation database website Planespotters.net reveals the Ryanair Group currently operates a fleet 409 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft operated by Buzz (46), Malta Air (123), Ryanair DAC (232) and Ryanair UK (8).

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