A war of words has erupted between Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary and Elon Musk after the Tesla founder's Starlink internet service was snubbed by the airline. On Wednesday, the Ryanair boss added further fuel to the conflict.
Elon Musk has opened for purchase all of Ryanair. Musk also wrote on the social media platform X that he wants to replace Michael O'Leary with someone named Ryan.
”"I really want to put a Ryan in charge of Ryanair. That's your destiny," the multi-billionaire wrote.
At a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday, which Ryanair called a response to ”Musk’s latest joke,” Michael O’Leary dismissed Musk’s suggestion that he would buy the airline and replace him, but said he would welcome an investment.
According to the airline manager, The high-profile row has led to increased bookings for the low-cost airline.
”"They've increased by about 2 or 3 percent over the last five days, which, given our volumes, is a very significant increase," Michael O'Leary said, according to Reuters.
Furthermore, the airline CEO stated that the use of Starlink would cost Ryanair up to $250 million per year, including additional fuel.
”The Starlink people believe that 90 percent of our passengers would be happy to pay for wifi access. Our experience says "Unfortunately, we believe that less than 10 percent of our passengers would pay for this access," said Michael O'Leary.
Source: DI.SE
