Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is forced to cancel a series of flights during the upcoming winter season due to delivery delays of new aircraft by US aircraft manufacturer Boeing. At Brussels Charleroi Airport, Ryanair will station three planes less than planned, canceling up to 12 flights daily as no spare planes are available.

A few weeks ago, Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary announced that two additional aircraft would be at Charleroi during the winter. That would make a total of 17. But now Ryanair has announced that three jets must be removed from Charleroi.

The Belgian airport is not the only one affected: Dublin is losing two planes, and several Italian airports, including Bergamo, Naples, and Pisa, are losing five. Ryanair is also withdrawing planes from the East Midlands (UK), Porto (Portugal), and Cologne (Germany).

Ryanair says there is no other way. The airline expected to receive 27 aircraft from Boeing between September and December, but there will only be 14. Production delays exist at supplier Spirit Fuselage in Wichita and Boeing in Seattle.

Rebooking or refund is possible

Ryanair has not yet communicated precisely how many flights will have to be scrapped from the end of October. According to aviation specialist Luc De Wilde in the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, over 160 000 seats will disappear at Brussels Charleroi Airport. The affected passengers will be informed in the coming days, though. They will be able to opt for a rebooking or a refund.

The airline stressed that it has no spare aircraft available during the winter, as scheduled maintenance must also be carried out for the more than 550 aircraft in its fleet. It is in talks with Boeing to ramp up deliveries in the first months of 2024 so that it could start the summer season with all 57 new Boeing 737 aircraft ordered.

No coincidence

According to some aviation specialists, it is no coincidence that Brussels Charleroi Airport and Dublin are the worst affected. O’Leary has been at loggerheads with Dublin Airport for some time over increased fees. That is why he already threatened to offer fewer flights from Dublin.

O’Leary is also considering moving the stock exchange listing from Dublin to Brussels. He thinks the stock exchange fees in Ireland are too high and deter international investors, while regulations at other European stock exchanges are more straightforward.

Charleroi has also been in conflict for some time. Ryanair has been plagued by social unrest there, involving its pilots based in Belgium. The pilots’ strikes during the holidays and in September led to the cancellation of 362 flights, affecting 62 324 passengers.

Two-month truce

About ten days ago, the social partners reached a framework agreement at a conciliation meeting at the federal Public Employment Service, which marks a two-month truce. There will be no new strike action during that period, and further consultations will be launched. The social conflict revolves around wages, work schedules, and rest periods, among other issues.

Ryanair posted profits of 683 million euros in the second quarter, almost quadrupling compared to last year. The airline also says it will have to offer tickets at dumping prices this winter to fill up its planes.