Leeham News and Analysis
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Leeham News and Analysis
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Ryanair becomes launch customer for 737 MAX 200
This has some additional information from our e-newsletter of Sept. 8. Additionally, Airbus has offered some observations about the 737 MAX 200 (as Boeing often does about Airbus products). We’ve initially confined this critique to our e-newsletter; this will be posted on this website next Monday.
Boeing Sept. 8 announced its launch customer for the 737 MAX 200, the 200-seat version of the 737-8: Ireland’s Ultra Low Cost Carrier, Ryanair.
Boeing announced the program at the Farnborough Air Show and it was only a matter of time before Ryanair, which had yet to order the 737-8, became a customer. The carrier’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, had been agitating for a 199-seat version of the 737-800/8 for more than a year. (At 200 seats, another flight attendant is required.)
The 737 MAX 200 is Boeing’s response to Airbus’ move to reconfigure the A320neo to seat 189 passengers, matching the standard layout of the 737-8. The A320neo-189 is at 28 inch seat pitch, and so is the MAX 200.
When Boeing first launched the MAX in 2011, and for two years thereafter, Boeing denied that it was considering a high density version of the airplane. Only after Airbus proceeded with the A320neo-189 did Boeing move forward. Boeing flatly denied the prospect of adding an exit door—and now it has done exactly this.
Airbus also announced a 240 seat version of the A321neo, which begs the question whether Boeing will launch a high density version of the 737-9. Boeing already has field performance issues with the 737-9; the CFM LEAP engine powering the 737-9 only has an additional 1,000 lbs thrust, so adding another 20 passengers or so would further degrade the field performance.
Boeing says the MAX 200 will have 20% lower fuel costs per seat than today’s “most efficient” aircraft.
While Airbus was first to launch high density versions of the A320/321neo, as far as we know, no customer has announced orders for these aircraft. But, neither did Airbus have a large customer such as Ryanair agitating for the airplane, either.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner said that 35% of the global market demand for single aisle airplanes will eventually come from Low Cost Carriers, for which the MAX 200 is designed.
O’Leary said the MAX 200 is “exactly what we have been pushing for for the last 10 years.” He called the 200-seat size is the “sweet spot” for the LCC market. Ryanair will operate the airplane with 197-seats.
The trend toward 28-inch high density offerings continues. Bombardier and Embraer each offer shoe-horn configurations for the CSeries CS300 and E-Jet E-195 E2 at 160- and 144-seats respectively. Such is the trend to make flights as miserable as possible for passengers, which we believe fuels air rage.
O’Leary said that taking out the galleys will have more legroom, clarifying that it will be 30-31 in pitch. O’Leary said the additional eight seats means $1m in revenue per airplane before fees.
“We’re removing forward and rear galleys, which we don’t need on our routes, and moving the toilets to the galley areas to provide more legroom,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary also said that CFM LEAP 1-B engines powering the 737 MAX will lower emissions and noise profiles significantly compared with today’s airplanes.
He said the MAX 200 will enable Ryanair to offer fares lower than that of today.
Deliveries will be 2019-2023. Options take it to 2029.
“We’re finally getting the aircraft we’ve want,” O’Leary said. He said that Ryanair hasn’t typically taken up all options, so it’s unlikely all 100 options will be taken up.
The airplane has a range of 3,200nm.
Hello Scott,
Did you crosscheck the assumption on pitch ?
Have a nice day
As one of the few big 737 operators left in Europe, Michael O’Leary has enormous buying power. A bit like EK has on wide bodies. He got exactly what he wanted.
On the other hand Boeing had no competition around 200 seats, the A320 iremains 2 rows shorter. So it was a strategic step for both.
“moving the toilets to the galley areas to provide more legroom,” O’Leary said.”
🙂 To free up an addition seatrow. It was a little harder then on the A320 because of the narrower tapered 737 aft fuselage. I think the lavs will be on the starboard for the 737 an there is a US launching customer.
Densely seated LCC-aircraft are on thing: it isn’t great, but you get what you pay for (and usually these LCC have quite transparent fee schemes). More problematic is when former “full service” airlines start to copy the concepts of the LCC, but continue to charge premium.
Some times I think full service airlines are worse to travel on than LCCs. The squeeze is the same, even if there number of pax is less they squeeze tourist to get as much space for business as possible, then on a full service carrier you are always way back on the plane and the cabin crew are grumpy. Exclude old Continental from that comment! LCCs often open the rear door as well, which legacy carriers all seem too dumb to do.
“(At 200 seats, another flight attendant is required.)” No, it’s 201. And the capacity of Max 200 is 200 passengers.
http://rgl.faa.gov/regulatory_and_guidance_library/rgfar.nsf/farsbysectlookup/121.391
Ryanair doesn’t operate in the US.
same rule in EU
An interesting comment in Flight International re O’Leary’s transatlantic ambitions:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/opinion-why-o39leary39s-transatlantic-dream-might-have-to-403641/
Doesn’t seem to tally with various predictions of an order gap between the A330ceo and A330Neo, and what about the 70 x A350 slots shed by Emirates? Surely some of those must fall within the 5-year timeframe? perhaps Airbus are confident of the A330 mega order from China and are holding the slots for them.
EK A350s were scheduled for delivery from 2019 onwards.
If the 737-9 passes safety certification with two doors per side plus overwing exits, why would the 737-8-200 require three doors per side plus overwing exits given that it holds fewer passengers?
Afaik, the 737-900 and -9 needs the additional exit activated to carry more than 189 pax.
Right you are. I have never travelled on a -900 with high density seating so hadn’t seen the third door.
The trend toward 28-inch high density offerings continues. Bombardier and Embraer each offer shoe-horn configurations for the CSeries CS300 and E-Jet E-195 E2 at 160- and 144-seats respectively. Such is the trend to make flights as miserable as possible for passengers, which we believe fuels air rage.
****
Squeezing more seats (and people) on the aircraft is one of the very few levers available to address the fact that fuel prices are up substantially since 2007. In the absence of that, air travel will simply become more expensive and out of reach of some consumers. Luckily, most airlines have expanded legroom sections available for a fee, for those for whom additional space is extremely important.
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