RYANAIR has today revealed ambitious expansion plans that
could see it carrying 40 million passengers a year.
The low-cost carrier has committed itself to acquiring 100
Boeing 737-800 aircraft over the next eight years with the option of acquiring a
further 50.
This would see Ryanair create 3,000 new jobs, including 800
pilots, 2,000 cabin crew and over 400 engineering and operations staff.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “This order
eliminates some uncertainty which hung over Ryanair’s growth plans. We can now
point our customers, our people and our shareholders towards our long term plan
which will see Ryanair open many new routes and bases all over Europe and
demonstrate how Ryanair in time will overtake British Airways, Lufthansa and
Air France as Europe’s biggest carrier of international scheduled passengers.”