• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil

2

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

3

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

1

Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil

2

Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it

3

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
FinanceBoeing
Europe

Boeing management needs ‘a boot up the a**’, rages budget airline CEO Michael O’Leary

Sophie Mellor
By
Sophie Mellor
Sophie Mellor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sophie Mellor
By
Sophie Mellor
Sophie Mellor
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 17, 2022, 12:21 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary took aim at Boeing and its 737 delivery schedule, scalding their management for running around like “headless chickens.”

After a string of delays in delivering aircrafts to Europe’s biggest low-cost airline, O’Leary hit out at Boeing leaders in an expletive-laced conference call with analysts on Monday, saying the company executives need either a “reboot or a boot up the a**.”

Ryanair is one of Boeing’s largest customers, using only the plane manufacturer’s 737-800 aircraft for its 300 plus plane fleet, and O’Leary has been relying on an order of 737 MAX planes to propel the airline’s growth out of pandemic, where the company had to write off €815 million in losses in 2020 alone.

But as COVID-19 recedes into the distance and summer tourism returns in full swing, O’Leary claims the company’s expansion plans have been hurt by Boeing’s failure to deliver, adding some aircraft that were due in April are now set to arrive in June.

“We’re a willing customer, but we’re struggling with slow deliveries and an inability to do a deal on new aircraft,” he said.

“At the moment, the Boeing management is running around like headless chickens, not able to sell aircraft.

“I can understand why there may be various challenges manufacturing new aircraft, but aircraft that you built and made two years ago that all you had … to do was put petrol in them and f***ing fly them to Dublin, really I don’t understand why you’re taking two to three-month delays on that.”

The Irish CEO said they were now looking to source secondhand Airbus and 737 aircrafts, saying the used market was making the option more attractive.

“They are losing market share hand over fist to Airbus and don’t seem to be responding appropriately,” O’Leary said in the conference call, citing other long-term Boeing customers who have switched to Airbus including U.K.’s Jet2 and Australia’s Qantas Airways.

“Either the existing management needs to up its game, or they need to change the existing management, would be our view of life.”

“We’re very happy to work with existing management but they need to bloody well improve on what they’ve been doing delivering to us over the last 12 months.”

Ryanair was in talks with Boeing to purchase around 250 MAX 10 planes—in a deal worth around $33 billion—but talks collapsed last September after pricing negotiations fell through.

O’Leary said that he was willing to restart discussions with Boeing for a new MAX 10 order, but he had not heard anything back from the company.

“You wonder what the hell their sales team has done in the last two years,” O’Leary said.

“Frankly most of them seem to sitting at home in their f***ing jimjams working from home instead of being out there selling planes to customers.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
About the Author
Sophie Mellor
By Sophie Mellor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

‘Failures happen during construction’: Office-to-residential conversions are all over NYC, but failures usually get fixed before they get worse
Real EstateNew York
‘Failures happen during construction’: Office-to-residential conversions are all over NYC, but failures usually get fixed before they get worse
By Catherina GioinoJuly 8, 2026
7 hours ago
‘Project 2029’ floats free child care—or $1,000 to stay home
Politicschild care costs
‘Project 2029’ floats free child care—or $1,000 to stay home
By Simone Foxman and BloombergJuly 8, 2026
7 hours ago
a man having chair still by the window in the office
EconomyLabor
Labor force participation falls to 61.5%, the lowest in 50 years outside COVID, and economists say it’s not just people giving up
By Catherina GioinoJuly 8, 2026
7 hours ago
Kevin Warsh buried an unusual, unhedged promise in his first Fed minutes—and one economist says it’s the strongest signal in the document
BankingFederal Reserve
Kevin Warsh buried an unusual, unhedged promise in his first Fed minutes—and one economist says it’s the strongest signal in the document
By Catherina GioinoJuly 8, 2026
7 hours ago
Man in collared shirt and jacket
Big TechAmazon
Amazon’s $25 billion ‘surprise’ bond sale dangled extra yield to lure in buyers—and flashed a warning sign about the AI boom
By Amanda GerutJuly 8, 2026
9 hours ago
How climate change could raise your water bill
EnvironmentConsumer Prices
How climate change could raise your water bill
By Emma Court and BloombergJuly 8, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil
Newsletters
Iran strikes 85 U.S. military sites in the Gulf, sparking a global selloff in stocks and a spike in the price of oil
By Jim EdwardsJuly 8, 2026
18 hours ago
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
Success
Ex-PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi worked from midnight until 5 a.m. as a receptionist to pay for her Yale degree—and she says ‘respect went up’ because of it
By Preston ForeJuly 6, 2026
3 days ago
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
4 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 8, 2026
16 hours ago
Billionaires John and Laura Arnold have already donated nearly half their wealth. Now they're funding a hunt for the health risks of sports betting
Success
Billionaires John and Laura Arnold have already donated nearly half their wealth. Now they're funding a hunt for the health risks of sports betting
By Sydney LakeJuly 8, 2026
21 hours ago
Investment firm's cofounder sues after being fired for neglecting the in-person work mandate he signed, saying it applies to employees not owners
Law
Investment firm's cofounder sues after being fired for neglecting the in-person work mandate he signed, saying it applies to employees not owners
By Jason MaJuly 5, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.