A total of 99.93% of shareholders who voted at a Ryanair EGM today have approved an order for 100 Boeing 737 Max aircraft with 100 options.
When finalised the deal will be valued at more than $22 billion at current list prices if all options are taken up.
Ryanair is the lead customer for the 197-seat new generation aircraft, which will reduce fuel consumption by up to 18% and cut noise emissions by 40%.
The configuration gives the airline eight addition seats over its existing 737-800s as the low-cost carrier looks to raise annual carryings from 84 million this year to 150 million by 2024.
Chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “Ryanair is proud and honoured to become the lead operator of Boeing’s 737 ‘gamechanger’ aircraft.
“This order will expand our fleet to approximately 520 aircraft by 2024 and create another 10,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers in Europe, while allowing us to grow our traffic to over 150m p.a.
“These new aircraft will allow Ryanair to lower our costs and airfares, while improving our customer experience with more leg room and Boeing Sky Interiors, as part of our Always Getting Better customer experience improvement programme.”