ryan air vs elon musk has turned into a high-profile public feud, after Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary rejected installing Elon Musk's Starlink satellite Wi-Fi on the carrier's fleet, and both men traded insults online, Reuters reported.
Ryanair says the Starlink fit would cost about €250 million to install and would raise fuel costs by roughly €100 million a year, figures O'Leary set out at a press conference and reported by Reuters.
O'Leary told reporters he had called Musk "an idiot" on Irish radio, and Musk replied on his X platform with similar epithets, even suggesting he might buy the airline, according to Reuters and the Associated Press.
Ryanair's chief executive told Reuters he was unbothered by the insults and credited the online exchange with lifting sales two to three percent over the past five days, adding his marketing team will deliver a free Ryanair ticket to X's Dublin office as a tongue-in-cheek thank you.
The Associated Press noted Musk ran a poll asking followers whether he should buy Ryanair, with about 76.5 percent of respondents in favour, though Ryanair shares closed nearly 1 percent down on movements Reuters recorded after the online back-and-forth.
Reactions, Rules And Wider Industry Context
Industry context and legal limits have framed the exchange, with O'Leary and Reuters pointing out that EU rules prevent non-European citizens from owning a majority stake in EU-based airlines, limiting the practical possibility of a full takeover.
O'Leary and Reuters said Ryanair would consider Musk as a shareholder but stressed majority control would not be legally straightforward. The BBC and Reuters reported Ryanair used the row to launch a "big idiot" or "great idiots" seat sale as promotional material, including a caricature of Musk.
The Associated Press outlined the wider in‑flight connectivity trend, reporting more than two dozen airlines have either signed or announced plans to use Starlink, including major carriers such as British Airways, Korean Air, United Airlines, and budget operators like Vueling, while some carriers already deploy the service on active routes.
AP and Reuters also reported differing cost estimates in the public debate, with O'Leary estimating only about 5 percent of Ryanair passengers would pay for onboard Wi‑Fi on short flights, a point he said makes the business case weak for the low‑fare carrier.
Ryanair told Reuters it remains in talks with other telecom providers, including Amazon's Kuiper, and will only proceed with solutions that lower costs, while O'Leary criticised aspects of social media and X, which he called a "cesspit" in comments reported by Reuters and the Associated Press.
