Ryanair (FR/RYR) are the largest Boeing 737 operator in Europe, and one of the largest in the world. We took a look at how new Boeing jets are delivered from Seattle to Ireland, and often onwards to new bases.
Ryanair’s new aircraft are typically flown from Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle to Dublin Airport (DUB), passing over Canada, Greenland and Iceland on what is known as a ‘Great Circle route’, or the shortest direct routing between two points on the globe. Despite being an aircraft typically used on short and medium haul routes, the Boeing 737 is capable of making this journey in one go thanks to being essentially empty, and near or at its maximum fuel capacity.
Whilst the majority of these delivery flights end up in Dublin, the aircraft often proceed on to other Ryanair bases to commence operations, such as SP-RZU (in our video above) which continued its journey to Wroclaw (WRO).
ETOPS considerations
Ryanair does not have ETOPS (Extended Twin-Engine Operations) authorization. However, Ryanair is authorized to conduct MNPS (Minimum Navigation Performance Specifications) operations, which is related to ETOPS. All Ryanair LIDO (Low-Cost, Intricate, Discontinuous, Obstacle) flight plans are designed to stay within 60 minutes of a suitable airport, and all MNPS flight plans generate ETPs (En Route Transit Points). In short, this means that this routing keeps the aircraft near enough to a diversion airport throughout the journey to not require the airline to be ETOPS certified.
A constantly growing fleet
The Ryanair fleet consists of 579 aircraft as of late April 2025. Of those, 410 are Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft (-700 and -800 series), and 162 are the high capacity Boeing 737 MAX 8200 aircraft). Ryanair even operate a fleet of 6 private jets.
Ryanair has a significant order backlog for Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft, including 150 firm orders for the larger upcoming Boeing 737 MAX 10 and options for 150 more. It’s no secret that aircraft deliveries across the board are happening slower than airlines and manufacturers alike would prefer. In addition to the existing challenges in global supply chains, Boeing are also experiencing the fallout of recent trade tariffs introduced by the Trump Administration. Some industry analysts have even predicted that Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary may consider ordering the Chinese-built COMAC C919 aircraft should the situation not improve.
Would you want to fly on a Ryanair 737 delivery flight? Let us know in the comments.
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