Ryanair delays new routes due to Boeing strike

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LONDON (Reuters) - Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has delayed 11 new routes blaming a machinist strike at planemaker Boeing which has caused the indefinite delay of two new aircraft.

The company said on Tuesday the launch of new routes between Scottish capital Edinburgh and a range of destinations from Bournemouth in the UK to Lodz in Poland would be delayed by six weeks to November 5.

Deputy Chief Executive Michael Cawley said two new 737-800 planes had been ordered to fly on these routes, but would not arrive on time due to the Boeing strike.

"Passengers who were booked to travel on our new routes during this initial six week period will be refunded over the next seven days," he said in a statement.

The strike by 27,000 Boeing machinists threatens to cost the world's top-selling planemaker $100 million a day and affect suppliers around the globe. Ryanair is among the first to announce disruption, but more may follow depending on the length of the strike, which is into its fourth day.

A Ryanair (RYA.L: Quote, Profile, Research) spokesman said the airline was currently reviewing how the strike would affect other deliveries. New routes set to be launched later this year include Liverpool in the UK to Paris, and London Stansted to Agadir, in Morocco.

He added the group could launch the Edinburgh routes in November regardless of how the strike develops because the firm was freeing up aircraft by closing routes for the winter.

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