Ryanair fleet: what planes does Ryanair fly?

If a jet is climbing out of Dublin, it may well be a Ryanair Boeing 737. Ryanair and Aer Lingus are Dublin Airport's two biggest customers [7], and Ryanair's main operating airline, Ryanair DAC, has its primary bases at Dublin and London Stansted [2]. The answer to "what planes does Ryanair fly?" is short: almost entirely 737s [1].

Two kinds of 737

As of 2 September 2026, Ryanair listed 647 aircraft [1]. Nearly two thirds were Next Generation 737s: 411 of them, each with 189 seats [1]. That is exactly the most passengers the European type certificate allows the 737-800 to carry for emergency evacuation [8]. They are covered in the library's Boeing 737-800 article.

The other 210 Boeings are 737-8200s, the high-density version of the 737 MAX 8 that Ryanair calls the Gamechanger [1] [5]. Each has 197 seats [1]. The FAA certified the type on 31 March 2021 [5], and Ryanair's first flew overnight from Seattle to Dublin Airport that June [4]. Ryanair credits it with 4% more guests, 16% less fuel burn and 40% less noise emissions [1]. The Boeing 737 MAX article has the full story, and 737 MAX vs 737-800 shows how to tell the two apart from the ground.

The Airbus exception

Ryanair's fleet page also lists 26 Airbus A320s with 180 seats [1]. Within the group, Lauda Europe, a Maltese airline that flies for the Ryanair Group, is the only A320 operator [2]. So an Airbus in Ryanair colours is not a mistake, but it is the exception; see Airbus A320 vs Boeing 737 to tell which is which. The library's Airbus A320 article covers the type.

What is on order

Ryanair has 300 Boeing 737 MAX 10s on order for delivery by 2034, with 228 seats each [1]. The airline says they will carry 20% more passengers than its Next Generation 737s, burn 20% less fuel and be 50% quieter [1]. The MAX 10 is covered in the 737 MAX article.

One fleet, several airlines

Ryanair Holdings is the parent of Buzz, Lauda, Malta Air, Ryanair and Ryanair UK [3], and the aircraft move between them. In January 2026, for example, seven Ryanair 737s left the Irish register when they were transferred to Buzz, the group's Polish airline [6]. So the name on the fuselage and the airline operating the flight do not always match, and the counts above are for the whole group [1] [3].

Fleet numbers change as new jets arrive and others move between the group's airlines. The figures here are Ryanair's own, as of 2 September 2026 [1].

In photographs

Look closer at the shapes, details and liveries. Every photograph links to its original and credits its creator.

Drawings and original documents

Existing published drawings are credited below. These are reference illustrations, not manufacturing blueprints. Manufacturer planning drawings are linked below. Reproduction rights are retained by the publisher.

• 737 Next Generation airport planning drawings, October 2025

  Boeing’s dimensioned plans cover the 737-600 through 737-900, including the -800’s cabin, doors, ground clearances and turning geometry.

• The 737-800’s first flight, 31 July 1997

  Read Boeing’s original launch-era report, with its route, test crew, fleet position and the planned Next Generation test programme.

• 737 MAX airport planning drawings, July 2025

  Boeing’s airport planning manual covers MAX 7, 8, 9 and 10, with aircraft dimensions, servicing and manoeuvring information.

• The 737 MAX 8’s first flight, 29 January 2016

  Boeing’s contemporary first-flight report includes genuine photographs, the flight-test crew and the route between Renton and Boeing Field.

• A320 airport and maintenance planning drawings, July 2026

  Airbus’s own technical reference, including aircraft dimensions, cabin cross-sections, door positions, ground clearances and servicing diagrams. These are manufacturer planning drawings.

• A320 Family facts and programme timeline, June 2026

  Airbus’s illustrated family backgrounder records the first deliveries of the A320, A321, A319 and A318, alongside dimensions for both engine generations.