Ryanair CEO dismisses Starlink deal as too costly and Elon Musk’s takeover talk as legally impossible under EU rules, but welcomes the publicity boom.
DUBLIN – A blistering public feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has taken a new turn, with the outspoken airline boss claiming the spat is driving a significant increase in ticket sales while firmly shutting the door on Musk’s satellite internet service and any potential takeover.
The war of words began last week when O’Leary stated Ryanair would not adopt Musk’s Starlink for in-flight WiFi across its 600+ aircraft, citing prohibitive costs. Musk responded on his platform X by calling the Ryanair chief an “utter idiot.”
At a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday—irreverently promoted by Ryanair as a response to “Musk’s latest Twitshit”—O’Leary leaned into the insult but fired back with substance.
“I have no issue being called an idiot,” O’Leary stated. “But to say that putting a [Starlink] antenna on an aircraft doesn’t create drag is a stupid idiotic thing to say.” Ryanair estimates the total annual cost of using Starlink, including added fuel burn from the antenna drag, could reach $250 million.
O’Leary also categorically dismissed Musk’s recent social media musings about buying the airline. “A takeover is impossible,” he asserted, citing strict EU regulations that prevent non-European entities from controlling majority stakes in EU airlines. He did, however, extend an invitation for investment. “Mr. Musk is welcome to buy shares, but he can’t take control.”
The Ryanair CEO revealed an unexpected upside to the controversy: a direct boost to business. He credited Musk’s “Twitter tantrum” for a “wonderful boost” in bookings, which he quantified as a 2-3% surge over the past five days—a substantial jump given Ryanair’s passenger volume.
Despite Musk running an informal X poll where 75% of respondents backed a takeover, the market remains skeptical. Ryanair’s share price saw a modest 2% uptick on Wednesday but has remained largely stable throughout the feud.
O’Leary detailed that talks with Starlink broke down after a year of evaluation due to a fundamental disagreement on economics and passenger demand. While Starlink projected a 90% paid uptake from passengers, Ryanair’s data suggests less than 10% would pay. The airline also insisted any provider must fund the installation, a point of contention.
For now, the clash between the two billionaires shows no signs of landing, proving that in the era of social media, even corporate spats can have a direct—and profitable—tailwind.
