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By Conor Humphries
DUBLIN, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Low-cost airline Ryanair
trimmed its passenger traffic forecast on Wednesday, saying it
would cut summer capacity and an unspecified number of jobs as a
result of further delays in returning Boeing's grounded
737 Max aircraft to service.
Ryanair has scrapped planned summer operations from bases in
Nuremberg and Stockholm Skavsta, as well as some flights from
other bases, "solely due to delivery delays" to MAX jets on
order from Boeing, the company said in a statement.
"We are continuing to work with Boeing, our people, our
unions and our affected airports to minimise these capacity cuts
and job losses," Ryanair added.
A spokeswoman said the company had no further comment.
The 737 MAX, Boeing's fastest-selling aircraft, was grounded
in March after two crashes attributed to anti-stall software in
which a total of 346 people died. U.S. airlines have so far
cancelled planned MAX flights until March and a return to
service is likely to take longer in Europe.
Ryanair, one of the biggest MAX customers with 210 planes on
order, is working with "a steadily declining number" of
deliveries expected by summer, group Chief Executive Michael
O'Leary said during an unrelated court hearing in Dublin on
Wednesday.
The group now anticipates it will receive 10 MAX aircraft in
time for the summer season, having previously reduced its
expectations to 20 from the 60 originally scheduled.
It also cut its traffic forecast to 156 million passengers
for the year to March 31, 2021 from 157 million.
Shares in Sweden's SAS were 2.6% higher in response
to news of Ryanair's Stockholm base closure. Ryanair's shares
were 0.3% higher.
Boeing took a $4.9 billion charge in the second quarter to
cover anticipated compensation for its airline customers' lost
business.
O'Leary, who was testifying in a court bid to prevent a
former Ryanair executive joining rival easyJet before 2021, has
previously said MAX compensation could be assessed only once
final delivery dates were known.
Ryanair also said last month it expected further delays to
its MAX jets and could still be without them altogether next
summer.
(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Additional reporting by Yadarisa
Shabong in Bengaluru; Writing by Laurence Frost; Editing by
Kirsten Donovan)
