Ryanair
has ordered a 100 new Boeing 737-800s in a £6.5bn deal, which will create 3,000
jobs.
The
airline said it will need 800 new pilots and 2,000 cabin crew as well as 400
engineers and operations staff.
Airbus
had been competing with Boeing for the order.
The
first of the new planes, which can seat between 162 and 189 passengers, will be
delivered this year, with deliveries continuing to 2010.
Ryanair,
which has an option for 50 more of the planes, will fly on a network which
currently carries more than 10m passengers a year to 64 routes in 12 European
countries.
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Michael
O’Leary, Ryanair chief executive, said: "We have found through experience
that the Boeing 737 provides the unbeatable cost economies and reliability
needed to run a profitable low-fare airline."
