Ryanair is investing £32bn in 300 Boeing aircraft, the largest order ever placed by an Irish company for US manufactured goods.
The budget airline has secured the deal to facilitate its major expansion plans, which include adding 10,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers over the next decade.
The order, which is subject to shareholder approval at Ryanair’s AGM on September 14, is expected to be funded largely from internal cashflow.
The airline’s Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said: “We’ve a very strong balance sheet and boy are we going to need it in the next couple of years as we pay for these babies.
“With these aircraft, we will be able to offer lower fares in Europe. We’re very pleased the Ryanair/Boeing partnership continues to knock seven bells out of our Airbus competitors in Europe.”
The airline recently returned to Belfast International after the UK Government halved APD on domestic flights in and out of Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport said: “Ryanair’s hugely successful and welcome return to Belfast International Airport in April 2023 brought with it 16 new routes, all of which are now live, with the airport now offering a greater choice of destinations for passengers.”
