An airline CEO who uses exclusively 737s warns tickets could get more expensive due to production delays, with the FAA 'crawling all over' Boeing

A Ryanair Boeing 737 Max 8. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

• Boeing’s delivery delays may cause Ryanair ticket prices to rise 10%, per the BBC.
• CEO Michael O’Leary said the message he’s getting from Boeing is “confusion.”
• The FAA is investigating Boeing’s quality-control processes following last month’s blowout.

Delays with Boeing’s building of planes could mean price increases for customers flying on Europe’s biggest budget airline, the BBC reported.

Ryanair is one of Boeing’s biggest customers and exclusively uses the 737. The Irish carrier is known for offering tickets for as little as 20 euros ($21).

Its CEO, Michael O’Leary, said fares could go up 10% because it won’t have all the planes it ordered on time, per the BBC.

He previously told Reuters he expects to be at least seven jets short this summer, but it could be worse depending on a review by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Boeing has been under increased scrutiny since last month’s Alaska Airlines blowout, when a 737 Max 9 lost its door plug in midair.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into Boeing’s quality-control processes and has two dozen inspectors reviewing its manufacturing lines.

It has also stopped Boeing from expanding production of the 737 Max, capping new planes at 38 a month until it is satisfied Boeing’s processes meet requirements.

According to the BBC, O’Leary categorized this as Boeing having the regulator “crawling all over them.”

And he described the message he was getting from the manufacturer as “confusion.”

The typically outspoken boss has criticized Boeing several times since the blowout.

“The [Boeing] management team in Seattle don’t appear to have a grip on the situation at the moment,” the Ryanair boss told Reuters last week.

He added that he wanted to see Boeing “getting their act together.”

United Airlines’ chief financial officer said last Tuesday it was “deeply disappointed” in Boeing delivery delays — and could rely more on the Airbus A321neo to replace the 737 Max 10.

A spokesperson for Boeing told the BBC: “We are communicating with customers that some delivery schedules may change as we take the necessary time to make sure that every airplane we deliver is high quality and meets all customer and regulatory requirements.

They added that they “deeply regret the impact this is having on our valued customer Ryanair.”