Budget airline Ryanair has ordered 100 Boeing 737 aircraft and taken options for 50 more in a deal worth €10.2 billion, it said today.
The multi-billion deal with Boeing will create over 3,000 jobs. Ryanair said it would need 800 new pilots and 2,000 cabin crew as well as 400 engineers and operations staff.
The 100 new 737-800s aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to Ryanair, which has an all-Boeing fleet, beginning in 2002 and continuing through 2010, Boeing and Ryanair said in a joint statement.
"We have found through experience that the 737 provides the unbeatable cost economies and reliability you need to be a profitable low-fare airline," Ryanair chief executive Mr Michael O'Leary told reporters.
Analysts believe the carrier achieved very attractive pricing on the aircraft, with a discount of perhaps 30 per cent, exceeding even the routine price cuts that civil-aircraft manufacturers offer.
Ryanair is one of the few airlines in a position to buy aircraft at the moment, as the industry suffers from over-capacity created by a global economic slowdown and the impact of the September 11th attacks on travel markets.
It has gone on the offensive in recent months, seeking to exploit the malaise of the national flag carriers, which have seen bookings fall sharply since the September 11th suicide assaults on the United States.
The order is a significant boost for US Boeing, which has seen its order book overtaken by that of European rival Airbus.
AFP/PA