Ryanair's O'Leary raises worries over Boeing planes
ANOTHER week, another comment from Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, who has voiced serious concerns about Boeing's manufacturing standards.
For the first time revealing that his airline now conducts its own extensive inspections on every aircraft it receives from the U.S. plane-maker.
The comments come in the wake of a deadly crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner run by Air India.
The plane, which was carrying nearly 250 people, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
While the cause of the crash is not yet known, there is no evidence that Boeing was at fault.
O'Leary, whose airline exclusively operates Boeing planes, said Ryanair has taken extra steps in recent years to safeguard against problems.
'We had aircraft delivered that, when inspected in Dublin, had spanners and tools left under the floorboards,' he told The Times.
'It's unacceptable. What the factory in Seattle needs is engineers, not just salespeople.'
To address these concerns, Ryanair now deploys a team of 30 engineers to monitor the assembly of its planes in the U.S.
Once a plane arrives at the airline's headquarters in Dublin, it undergoes a detailed two-day inspection before it is approved for passenger use.
'Only when our engineers are completely satisfied does the aircraft enter operation,' O'Leary added.
His remarks also coincide with renewed attention on claims made by Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour.
A long-time engineer at the company, Salehpour alleged that shortcuts during the manufacturing of the 787 Dreamliner compromised the structural integrity of the fuselage.
'These are not minor issues,' Salehpour testified before a U.S. Senate panel last year. 'They could lead to structural failure after thousands of flight cycles.'
Boeing maintains that thorough internal testing has revealed no immediate safety concerns.
In response to the whistleblower's claims, the company stated, 'We are fully confident in the 787 Dreamliner. Assertions about its structural safety do not reflect the rigorous work we've done to ensure its long-term integrity.'
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently reviewing Salehpour's claims.
Meanwhile, Boeing offered condolences to the victims of the Air India crash, with company executives pledging full cooperation with the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
First introduced in 2011, the 787 Dreamliner is one of Boeing's most popular long-haul planes.
For O'Leary, ensuring safety means not taking any chances. 'Boeing makes great aircraft, but their quality control has slipped,' he said.
'That's why we've taken it upon ourselves to double-check everything. When it comes to safety, there's no room for error.'
See More: Air India, Boeing, Michael O'Leary, Ryanair
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Air India slammed for ‘repeated violations' and three officials sacked over ‘systemic failures' in wake of horror crash
AIR India has been slammed for "repeated violations" with three officials sacked over "systemic failures" following the tragic crash. Cracks within the airline have started to show after flight AI171 7 Crews search and clear the wreck Credit: EPA 7 The plane crashed in a fireball at a doctor's hostel Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 Firefighters work at the site of the crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad Credit: EPA All passengers and crew - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urged Air India to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles, it has been revealed. The three officials include a divisional vice president, a chief manager of crew scheduling and one planning executive. Their sacking relates to lapses linked to flights from Bengaluru to London on May 16 and May 17 that exceeded the stipulated pilot flight time limit of 10 hours. read more news The order on Friday cited "systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights" and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against the officials. Despite the latest action by the aviation authority against Air India being unrelated to this month's tragic crash, it has laid bare the significant issues with the airline. On Thursday, it was also brought to light that authorities previously warned the airline for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides. The latest order by assistant director of operations at the DGCA, Himanshu Srivastava, said: "Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible." Most read in The Sun Air India said it has implemented the DGCA order and in the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre. The airline added: "Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices." Shock moment passenger threatens to CRASH Air India plane mid-flight in furious row just days after Ahmedabad disaster The DGCA stated in its order that Air India had voluntarily disclosed the violations. Investigators are continuing their probe into what caused the airline's London-bound plane to plunge to the ground moments after takeoff in Ahmedabad. Air India said on Thursday that the The airline's chief N Chandrasekaran also hit back at 'speculation' on what caused the London-bound flight to crash a minute after take-off. And it was revealed that the The Indian government has the final say on who probes the device, but reports say the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C. is being considered for the analysis. A team of Indian investigators is expected to accompany the device to ensure all protocols are followed during the Investigators warned on Tuesday that the recovered 7 The plane seconds before disaster with its landing gear still extended Credit: x/nchorAnandN 7 People stand near debris at the crash site Credit: EPA 7 The plane's tail can be seen sticking out of a building following the crash Credit: AP 7 Lone survivor of the Air India plane crash Vishwash Ramesh pictured at his family home in Diu, India Credit: Dan Charity Planes usually carry One records flight data, such as altitude and speed, whilst the other monitors the cockpit sound. The Despite the name, these devices are painted bright orange for visibility amid debris. Investigators believe the CVR on this 2014-delivered aircraft likely stored only two hours of cockpit audio. The jet predates a 2021 rule which enforced 25-hour recordings on all planes. But the FDR is capable of logging thousands of flight parameters for over 25 hours, including altitude, airspeed, and control inputs. The aircraft had climbed less than 600 feet before its ascent stalled, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. A distress signal was sent but was met with complete radio silence. Moments later, the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex near the airport's northeastern boundary. The damaged black box is now seen as a crucial piece of evidence in understanding what led to India's worst air disaster in nearly three decades. Investigators hope the data from the box will shed light on the aircraft's final moments. 52 Brits died on board the flight, but London local Leading theories on Air India Flight AI171 THESE are some of the leading theories explaining the tragic Air India disaster which killed at least 270 people. Emergency power system : A small turbine generator was seen deploying as the Boeing 787 went down, experts said. Footage showed a "protrusion on the belly of the aircraft" with a "little grey dot" beneath it. Commentators say this was a system called Ram Air Turbine (RAT) poking out from the fuselage of the plane. Bird Strikes : A bird strike could have taken out both of the jet's giant General Electric engines. While a bird taking down something the size of a commercial airliner might sound fanciful, there are numerous examples. Wing flap position : Aviation experts have suggested the position of the aircraft's wing flaps could have played a role in the disaster. Video evidence suggests the flaps were either fully retracted or on a very minimal setting, which would have provided very little lift. The flaps provide crucial extra lift at low speeds during take-offs and landings. Pilot error : The state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 is highly automated, with human pilots making only key decisions - but human error cannot be ruled out. Co-pilot Clive Kundar had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience and made the mayday call but Captain Sumeet Sabharwa at the helm had 11,500 hours - making him one of Air India's most experienced pilots. Heat : Planes get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, and therefore they need to go faster to get as much lift as on a cooler day. This is particularly important when an airliner is heavy with fuel, passengers and baggage, as the Air India flight was. Technical error : Catastrophic technical or engineering issues have not been ruled out. The jet's complex design mean it could take months for a design or engineering fault to be pinpointed.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Dublin airport operator warned over passenger cap breach
Dublin Airport operator DAA has been issued with an enforcement order by Fingal County Council for breaching the 32 million annual passenger limit, despite a High Court suspension of the cap. An Bord Pleanála imposed the limit on airport's capacity in 2007 as a condition of allowing it add a second terminal. The move was meant to allay fears over traffic jams on roads to and from the airport, which have since been upgraded. State company DAA applied to the council for permission to increase the cap to 36 million and 40 million in separate applications, but has yet to receive a decision from the planning authority. However, in April the High Court effectively suspended the passenger cap pending the outcome of a legal challenge relating to the limit taken last year by Irish airlines Ryanair and Aer Lingus, and Airlines for America, which represents US and Canadian carriers. READ MORE The cap was breached last year when 33.3 million passengers came through the airport. The council has now issued DAA with an enforcement notice which allows a two-year period to comply with the passenger capacity conditions. [ Aviation regulator drops measure from winter travel plan Opens in new window ] 'The two-year period provides an opportunity for DAA to progress their planning applications to increase passenger capacity at Dublin Airport or take such other steps as they consider appropriate to achieve compliance,' the council said. In response to complaints received that the conditions were breached in 2023 and 2024, the council's enforcement unit initiated a formal investigation to assess compliance. 'A warning letter was issued to DAA, providing them with an opportunity to respond, which they did,' the council said. 'Fingal County Council acknowledges the operational complexities presented. However, the information submitted by DAA does not constitute sufficient grounds to prevent further action. The investigation has determined that a breach of the relevant planning conditions has occurred and remains ongoing.' A DAA spokesman described the issuing of the enforcement notice as a 'sorry indictment' of the planning system. 'The fact that Fingal County Council is sending us an enforcement notice regarding 32 million passengers when passenger numbers will be north of 36 million this year and heading towards 40 million before the end of the decade is a sorry indictment of the mess that is the Irish planning system, particularly when it comes to the most vital piece of transport infrastructure on this island,' he said. DAA said that until the 'broken' system was overhauled the airport was effectively 'hamstrung' and unable to grow Ireland's connectivity. It has called for a complete scrapping of the passenger limit and for the airport to be classified as strategic infrastructure, placing relevant decisions in the hands of a national planning body and not a local authority. 'When it took up office, the Government committed to acting speedily to identify and implement a legislative solution that would remove the passenger cap from Dublin Airport,' the DAA spokesman said. 'The Minister has since also said he will bring forward legislation to solve the cap issue, dispel uncertainty and maintain connectivity for Ireland – and this can't happen quickly enough.' Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien last month said he hoped forthcoming legislation could bring an end to the dispute.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Irish Independent
Big increase in winter flights at Dublin Airport expected after cap suspended
The number of seats that will be available on flights in and out of the capital will rise to just under 17.9 million for the season, a 23pc increase on last winter. Last winter, just under 14.4 million seats were set to be made available by carriers as the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) decided to limit numbers to ensure Dublin Airport adhered to its annual 32 million passenger cap. While the number available next winter is expected to shoot back up to 17.9 million, that is still below the near 18.4 million that were being made available for winter 2023-2024. Aer Lingus intends to have more than 4.7 million seats available this winter. That's 560,000 more than last winter. Ryanair will have 7.54 million, compared with the 6.25 million it had last season. Other international operators, from Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad to US airlines including United, Delta and American, will have hundreds of thousands of extra seats available between them. Dublin Airport's passenger cap is due to a planning condition attached in 2007 to the construction of Terminal 2. However, this year Dublin Airport will handle about 36.3 million passengers, following decisions by the High Court that effectively paused the cap while certain matters related to aircraft take-off and landing slot allocations are being examined by the European Court of Justice. It is not likely to deliver a ruling on those matters until summer next year. Dublin Airport's slots are managed by UK-based firm Airport Coordination. Its initial co-ordination report for the coming winter period, which covers October 26 to March 28 next year, shows the dramatic increase in the planned seat availability now that the IAA cannot, for the time being at least, limit the number at Dublin Airport. The report shows there was demand for 103,020 take-off and landing slots for the season, with 102,754 allocated. New slots for the period were requested by a slew of airlines, from Aer Lingus and Ryanair, to Hainan Airlines, Emirates and Etihad. Ryanair remains by far the biggest operator at Dublin Airport for the season, with 39pc of allocated slots for the winter. Aer Lingus has 23pc. Emerald Airlines, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional service, has just under 13pc. The largest non-Irish long-haul carrier out of Dublin is United Airlines, with 1,080 slots for the winter, followed by Emirates and Qatar Airways. The report from Airport Coordination notes that some new destinations which intended to be operated next winter include routes to Albania's capital, Tirana, as well as to Rabat in Morocco and a direct service to Derry. The Government has pledged to have the cap removed. While Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien has suggested legislation will be brought forward in the autumn to address the cap, it could take some time before it is removed. Dublin Airport is set for its busiest ever summer, with passenger numbers expected to surpass 10 million for the season. It expects to have a number of days where passenger numbers will significantly exceed 100,000.
