Ryanair expects Boeing to take 12-18 months to clear backlog

By Joanna Plucinska

LONDON (Reuters) -Europe's biggest airline Ryanair expects Boeing to take 12 to 18 months to eliminate backlogs in its aircraft deliveries, group chief executive Michael O'Leary said in London, reinforcing a call for more quality oversight.

Boeing said this week it expected a slower increase in its production rate and deliveries as it faces scrutiny over quality control since a January mid-air panel blowout on a near-new 737 MAX 9.

O'Leary added it didn't make a difference whether Boeing owned supplier Spirit Aerosystems, but "quality control does need to be improved".

He said Ryanair was still planning to restart flights to Tel Aviv in June as long as a new low-cost terminal opened and the security situation allowed.

(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska; Writing by Sarah Young; Editing by Paul Sandle and Mark Potter)