Materiales y métodos

As part of its commitment to safety, Ryanair endeavors to hire qualified maintenance personnel, provide proper training to such personnel, and maintain its aircraft in accordance with European industry standards. While Ryanair seeks to maintain its fleet in a cost-effective manner, management does not seek to extend Ryanair’s low-cost operating strategy to the areas of maintenance, training or quality control.

Ryanair’s quality assurance department deals with oversight of all maintenance activities in accordance with Part 145. The European Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”), which established Part 145, came into being on September 28, 2003, through the adoption of Regulation (EC) No. 1592/2002 of the European Parliament, and its standards superseded the previous Joint Aviation Authority (“JAA”) requirements. See “Government RegulationRegulatory Authorities.”

Ryanair is itself an EASA Part 145-approved maintenance contractor and provides its own routine aircraft maintenance and repair services. Ryanair also performs certain checks on its aircraft, including pre- flight, daily, and transit checks at some of its bases, as well as A-checks at its Dublin, London (Stansted), Glasgow (Prestwick) and Bremen facilities. Ryanair expects to commence A-checks at its facility in Frankfurt (Hahn) from September 2011. Since December 2003, Ryanair has operated a two-bay hangar facility at its base at Glasgow (Prestwick) in Scotland, where it carries out both A-checks and C-checks on the fleet of Boeing 737- 800 aircraft. The facility performs two C-checks per week, enabling Ryanair to perform most of the heavy maintenance that is currently required on its Boeing 737-800 fleet in-house. Ryanair has recently completed the construction of a new three-bay maintenance hangar at Glasgow (Prestwick) airport which can perform up to an additional three C checks per week.

Ryanair opened a five-bay hangar and stores facility at its London (Stansted) airport base in October 2008 to allow Ryanair to carry out additional line maintenance on its expanding fleet. This facility also incorporates two flight simulator devices with space and provisions for two more, together with a cabin crew trainer and associated training rooms. Ryanair has just completed the building of a separate training facility adjacent to the hangar to accommodate a full size 737NG training aircraft to allow for cabin crew and engineering training. Ryanair carries out checks and line maintenance in its single-bay aircraft hangar facility in Bremen. Ryanair has recently entered into a 30-year sole-tenancy agreement with Frankfurt (Hahn) airport to occupy a two-bay hangar and stores facility that also incorporates a two-bay simulator-training center. This facility was completed in January 2011 and will allow Ryanair to carry out additional line maintenance including A checks.

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Maintenance and repair services that may become necessary while an aircraft is located at some of the other airports served by Ryanair are provided by other Part 145-approved contract maintenance providers. Aircraft return each evening to Ryanair’s bases, where they are examined by Ryanair’s approved engineers or, in the case of Brussels (Charleroi), Stockholm (Skvasta), Rome (Ciampino), Frankfurt (Hahn), Milan (Bergamo), Barcelona (Girona), Madrid, Alicante, Dusseldorf (Weeze), Kaunas, Bristol, Brindisi, Bari, Bremen, Kaunas, Pescara, Trapini, Bologna and Cagliari, by local Part 145-approved companies.

Heavy Maintenance

As noted above, Ryanair currently has sufficient capacity to be able to carry out all of the routine maintenance work required on its Boeing 737-800 fleet itself. However, Ryanair occasionally contracts with outside maintenance providers for some heavy maintenance services that it cannot accommodate in its own facilities. In particular, Ryanair enters into short-term, ad hoc contracts with reputable Part 145-approved suppliers of heavy maintenance in the U.K. and Europe, such as ATC Lasham, for the carrying-out of the heavy maintenance overhauls currently required on its relatively new fleet.

Ryanair opened a new three-bay maintenance hangar at Glasgow (Prestwick) airport in winter 2010 to accommodate the additional maintenance requirements arising from its expanding and aging fleet.

Ryanair contracts out engine overhaul service for its Boeing 737-800 aircraft to General Electric Engine Services pursuant to a 10-year agreement with an option for a 10-year extension, signed in 2004. This comprehensive maintenance contract provides for the repair and overhaul of the CFM56-7 series engines fitted to the first 155 of Ryanair’s Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the repair of parts and general technical support for the fleet of engines. On June 30, 2008, the Company finalized a contract for a similar level of coverage and support for the engines on all of its aircraft that have been or are scheduled to be delivered as well as any option aircraft delivered pursuant to the Company’s current contracts with Boeing over the period through November 2012. Due to the fact that engines on recently delivered aircraft will not require a scheduled engine overhaul prior to the expiry of the current contract with GE, Ryanair has decided at this time not to take up its option to have engines delivered with aircraft after October 2010 covered by this contract. General Electric Engine Services mainly uses its Part 145-approved repair facility in Cardiff, Wales for this work, but also uses the KLM Part 145-approved facility in Amsterdam, and occasionally its Part 145-approved facility in Celma, Brazil. By contracting with experienced Part 145-approved maintenance providers, management believes it is better able to ensure the quality of its aircraft and engine maintenance. Ryanair assigns a Part 145-certified mechanic to oversee all heavy maintenance and to authorize all engine overhauls performed by third parties. Maintenance providers are also monitored closely by the national authorities under EASA and national regulations.

Ryanair expects to be dependent on external service contractors, particularly for engine and component maintenance, for the foreseeable future, notwithstanding the additional capabilities provided by its maintenance facilities at Glasgow (Prestwick), London (Stansted) and Frankfurt (Hahn). See “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Company—The Company Is Dependent on External Service Providers.”

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