For a few weeks now, the Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air has also been underway in its own livery. The Boeing 737-Max-200 aircraft are the first fleet members to wear their own Malta Air color scheme. The planes, which the Irish company calls "Gamechanger" for marketing reasons, are currently stationed in Bergamo, Italy.

According to CEO Michael O'Leary, the group currently has Boeing 737 Max 200 stationed in London-Stansted, Bergamo and Krakow. At Buzz, the next "Max Station" is to be built at Warsaw-Modlin Airport. When the first “game changers” in Austria - operated by Buzz - or Germany - Malta Air - will be stationed is still completely open. O'Leary said that they haven't committed yet.

A few weeks ago, Malta Air and Lauda Europe Managing Director David O'Brien explained in an interview with Aviation Direct that the group of companies had initially opted for Stansted and Bergamo because these airports have their own technical facilities, including mechanics and engineers are trained and trained for the sample. According to reports, Ryanair Engineering is also training technicians for other line stations in Stansted and Bergamo, so that the “distribution” of the Boeing 737 Max 200 will progress rapidly in the coming year at the latest.

Ryanair flights in planes with Buzz or Malta Air paintwork are still rare because there are only a few such Boeing 737 Max 200s. That will gradually change, but according to David O'Brien, most “game changers” at both Buzz and Malta Air will wear the Ryanair DAC color scheme. CEO Michael O'Leary did not say how many will fly in the daughter's livery. This suggests a bit that you may not have made up your mind yet.

Malta Air B737 Max 200 = Ryanair in a different color scheme

Anyone who expects Ryanair to reinvent the wheel with the Boeing 737 Max 200, which fly in the colors of Malta Air and Buzz, will be disappointed. The cabins are one to one identical to those of the Ryanair DAC. Only the color design and the attached company logos are different. At Malta Air, for example, bright red plastic dominates the seats. Malta Air instead of Ryanair can be read on the overhead bins and in various other places.

In other places, for example in the area of ​​the galley, the logo of the sister company Ryanair is omnipresent. Unlike their colleagues from Buzz and Lauda Europe, the Malta Air flight attendants wear Ryanair uniforms. So the look is a little confusing, because you fly under FR flight number, get on a Boeing 737 Max 200, on which Malta Air is oversized and the staff wear blue Ryanair uniforms.

The Irish company has been accepting this for some time now, because, for example, the Buzz flight attendants also wear the uniforms of the Polish offshoot in the Boeing 737-800s in Ryanair livery. Lauda Europe also wears their own uniforms. But there is not a lot of creativity in it, because the uniforms are identical, only the colors and logos are different. To put it simply: Ryanair uniform in a different color and with a different logo on it.

The Boeing 737 Max 200 is a special version of the Max 8. This has built in more seats, which is in keeping with Ryanair. The Irish company is the first customer of this version, which Boeing also markets as a "low-cost variant". The differences that passengers can feel between the Boeing 737-800 with space cabin and the 737 Max 200 are so minimal that they are hardly worth mentioning. One can even cheekily claim that infrequent fliers only notice that they are sitting in a Max by looking at the safety cards affixed at eye level. Frequent flyers, spotters and knowledgeable travelers will of course notice when boarding at the latest that a so-called "game changer" is at the farm.

Exit rows are reminiscent of the competitor model A321

The emergency exits on the Boeing 737 Max 200 are significantly different from those on the B737-800. These are strongly reminiscent of the rival Airbus A321. There are also places for flight attendants in exit rows. The emergency exits are positioned relatively far back.

The positioning of the washrooms is reminiscent of the A321neo, because two are located in the rear directly in the rear. This is a trend, because for a number of years airlines have had their toilet facilities positioned in this otherwise unused space. This gives you space for additional seats. The consequence of this is that the galley is much smaller and can only take up about half of the space.

Subjectively, the red color is not quite as bright as the yellow used by Ryanair. The distance between the seats is not mega-tight, nor is it extraordinarily wide, but exactly midfield and therefore okay. The fears that Ryanair will bring back the ultra-tight spaces from the past (“classic” cabin with the “thick” seats) are completely unfounded.

However, it seems strange that the Boeing 737 Max 200 used on the flight from Bergamo has not been in regular service for two months and yet there are already visible hairline cracks on various panels in the cabin. These are not relevant to safety, as they are just cladding and covers. Still, something like that shouldn't happen with a brand new airliner after such a short time.

The Leap engines of the Boeing 737 Max 200 cause a much higher noise level in the cabin of this model, subjectively perceived during take-off. The competing model of the A320neo series is known to be particularly quiet in the interior. Conversation in a whisper is not possible in the Max 200 during the start-up process. Whether this is louder or quieter than the Boeing 737 Max 800 is likely to be a totally subjective perception.

Toilets are way too small

But there is a striking difference in a place where you would not expect it. The toilets of the Boeing 737 Max 200 are noticeably smaller and narrower than the 800 model. In times of Corona, hand washing is an important thing, but in the Max-200 the sink is probably a bad design. It is not too small in size, but the water splashes out everywhere and can hit the passenger. The basin can best be compared with those in construction site Dixi toilets.

The next few months and years will show whether the Boeing 737 Max 200 can fulfill the manufacturer's promises and the high expectations of Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary. Apart from the washroom, which is much too small, there are hardly any noticeable differences for the passenger. In terms of seat spacing, it is on par with the previous model with the Space-Cabin. The seats are exactly identical and, depending on the operator livery, only differ in color or by the logo on the safety card.

Anyone who expects that passengers will discover a lot of novelty in a Boeing 737 Max 200 in Malta Air livery or even fly a “completely new airline” will be disappointed. The differences perceptible to the traveler are minimal and, in the truest sense of the word, most clearly perceptible in the quiet place.