Ryanair will order 150 Boeing 737 Max planes with an option for 150 more, marking the biggest aircraft purchase in the Irish airline�s history and a boost for Boeing.

At Boeing�s list prices, the deal would be worth more than $40 billion if Ryanair exercises all the options, but airlines routinely get deep discounts. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ryanair CEO Michael O�Leary said Tuesday that the planes will replace some of the airline�s older Boeing jets and provide room for growth. The airline selected the largest version of the Max, which O�Leary said will have 21% more seats but burn 20% less fuel than the airline�s current 737s.

The airline expects to take delivery of the planes between 2027 and 2033.

Boeing is benefitting from a boom in airplane orders, as air travel around the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arlington, Virginia, company has struggled however with production issues affecting the Max and a larger plane, the 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing announced last month that deliveries of a �significant� number of new Max jets will be delayed while the company and supplier Spirit AeroSystems fix incorrect fittings between the fuselage and tail sections, a problem that was discovered to date back to 2019.

The announcement Tuesday amounts to a vote of confidence from one of Boeing�s best customers � and one that has bluntly expressed its displeasure with the aircraft maker in the past.

Last year, O�Leary went on an expletive-laced rant to complain about Boeing�s slow pace of aircraft deliveries and an inability to settle terms for an aircraft order. He said on a call with analysts in May 2022 that Boeing management �is running around like headless chickens.�

Shares of Boeing gained 3% Tuesday.

(AP)