The CEO of European low-cost airline Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) said Thursday that delayed deliveries of Boeing's (NYSE:BA) 737 Max aircraft are "getting worse" as the company reels from quality-control issues at aerospace supplier Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:SPR).
The airline said it expected to receive 14 of 27 aircraft due by late December, but that number could fall as low as 10.
"If anything it’s getting worse," Ryanair's Michael O'Leary said. "I would have been reasonably confident up until about a month ago that we would get 57 aircraft by the end of June. I’m now not confident."
The delays suggest Ryanair may only receive 40 aircraft by June, which threatens the company's summer flying capacity.
In addition to the comments on the Boeing delays, O'Leary commented on European airline consolidation.
He said IAG is the logical buyer of Portugal's TAP and he thinks EasyJet (LON:EZJ) will be acquired by either British Airways or Air France, or through some partnership of the two. Meanwhile, he said Wizz Air (LON:WIZZ) will likely be bought by a Middle East airline.