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Ryanair doubles number of engineers overseeing Boeing’s production lines

Airline also increases engineers at aircraft maker’s supplier Spirit AeroSystems

A Boeing 737 on the company's production line in Washington. Photograph: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Philip Georgiadis
Tue Jan 16 2024 - 17:10

Ryanair has doubled the number of its engineers overseeing Boeing’s production lines following the manufacturing problems that have plagued the US plane maker.

The Irish airline, which is one of the largest customers of Boeing’s 737 Max narrow-body aircraft, increased the number of engineers it has on site at the US group’s production line in Seattle from six to 12.

Ryanair has also raised the number of engineers on the production line of Spirit AeroSystems, one of Boeing’s largest suppliers, from four to eight.

“We all as an industry want to be seen to be investing more in quality control and what is coming off the line,” said Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary on Tuesday.

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Mr O’Leary said Boeing had asked Ryanair to increase its oversight, and that the plane maker had also pledged to add more of its own engineers working on “quality control”.

[ Boeing’s safety record causes investors to flee ]

“To be fair to Boeing from last September they have significantly increased the number of engineers on quality control. I would have to say we have seen a marked improvement in the quality of aircraft deliveries,” he said.

Ryanair flies only Boeing aircraft, and has an order book of more than 400 new aircraft, made up of 737-Max 8 and Max-10. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024

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