Boeing deliveries expected by Ryanair could be postponed because of President Trump’s trade tariffs, according to the airline’s boss, Michael O’Leary. With tariffs potentially hiking the cost of the aircraft, the Irish carrier would seek to push back their arrival and see if the tariffs are at some point removed.
“If tariffs are imposed on those aircraft, there’s every likelihood we may delay the delivery,” O’Leary told the Financial Times, adding: “We might delay them and hope that common sense will prevail.”
His words echo those of Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian, who has also said that even the US’s biggest carrier in terms of brand value and revenue would seek to avoid the tariffs by taking later deliveries. The 10 wide-bodies Delta has on order from Airbus could cost an additional $150 million under the new tariff regime, Cirium consultancy has estimated. After revising down financial forecasts and warning of recession, on tariffs Bastian has insisted, “We will not be paying.”
In O’Leary’s case, the refusal to take delivery of aircraft under a heavy tariff regime is significant because he has previously slammed Boeing for manufacturing issues and missed delivery deadlines that have seen flight schedules adjusted due to a lack of seat capacity. Now he says the 25 Ryanair aircraft slated to arrive in August 2025 are not really required until spring 2026 or in his words, “kind of March, April.”
Trump’s tariffs mean that the raw steel and aluminium supplies used in aircraft manufacturing now cost 25% more to bring into the country than before, while “finished” parts are up 10%. There will be “significant debate” O’Leary says, on who should bear the brunt of those increased prices. “The airlines will say the manufacturer must pay. I’m sure the manufacturer will insist the airline pays,” he said.
In the end, though, the real loser in a tariff war is the end consumer, Cirium has pointed out, saying “The ultimate person paying the cost [of the import tariffs] is the person buying the ticket.”
Since Trump took office, the US travel and tourism sector has slumped due to a combination of falling consumer confidence, the uncertain welcome signalled by detentions of tourists at the US border, and international condemnation of the President’s attitude to Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and Ukraine. European travel to the US was 17% down year-on-year in March, while Canadian border crossings by car and air have fallen by 30% and 13.5% respectively.
