Ryanair in talks over Russian and Chinese plane deal

Ryanair is in talks with U.S., Chinese and Russian aircraft manufacturers about the possibility of buying 200 to 300 planes between 2015 and 2021, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

In an interview with the newspaper, Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, said he would only buy aircraft at "cheap prices."

Ryanair is talking to three manufacturers, Boeing in the United States, China's Comac and Russia's Irkut , about a deal to buy narrow-body aircraft.

Such a deal would enlarge Ryanair's fleet of jets from 300 to 500 and enable the airline to increase passenger numbers from 70 million up to 130 million in the next decade.

"Staying as is for the next 10 to 20 years sounds a bit too much like just lethargy...we're not going to stop here," O'Leary was quoted as saying.

Ryanair's expansion in recent years has focused on Italy and Spain and O'Leary said the airline now had growth opportunities in Scandinavia and eastern Europe.

Officials with Ryanair could not be immediate reached for comment.