The new 228-seat aircraft will serve Ryanair’s traffic, which is expected to grow by 80% to 300 million passengers a year by 2034.
The airline’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, described the deal as “an ideal growth aircraft order for Ryanair, our passengers, our staff and our shareholders”.
“Compared to our B737-NG, these new, fuel-efficient, greener technology aircraft seat 21 percent more, burn 20 percent less fuel and are 50 percent quieter,” he said.
He added that the deal would enable Ryanair to create more than 10,000 new high-paying jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers.
Given the size and scale of the deal, it will be approved by shareholders at Ryanair’s next annual general meeting.