Dublin

O'Leary: 'Musk cannot acquire Ryanair'. Ceo offers 100,000 €17 Big Idiot Seat Sale

"We are a publicly owned company. It is free to do so at any time, but non-Europeans cannot own the majority of a European airline,' said Ryanair's ceo

21 January 2026Aggiornato alle 12:20

Il CEO di Ryanair Michael O'Leary posa davanti a uno schermo prima di una conferenza stampa sulla sua disputa con Elon Musk riguardo all'installazione del servizio Internet Starlink di Musk sugli aerei Ryanair, a Dublino, Irlanda, il 21 gennaio 2026. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

2' min read

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Versione italiana

Key points

O'Leary: "Musk insults me if it increases sales"
Ryanair in 42nd year of operation

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Ryanair would welcome an investment from Elon Musk, said its group chief ‍ executive Michael O'Leary, in the latest round of a public dispute between the two, which O'Leary said has helped ‍to increase his airline's bookings by 2-3%.

"We are a publicly owned company. You are free to do so at any time, but non-Europeans cannot own the majority of a European airline,' O'Leary said at a press conference on Wednesday 21 January.

"If you wanted to invest in Ryanair, we would think it was a very good investment."

O'Leary: 'Musk insults me if it increases sales'

Ryanair's CEO said that the online clash with Elon Musk last week was good for business.

Bookings rose 2% to 3% in the aftermath of the social brawl between the two tycoons, Michael O'Leary said at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday. As a result, he is "very happy to continue the controversy."

"If it helps to increase Ryanair's sales, you can insult me all day, any day," O'Leary said.

The barrage of insults began on 14 January after O'Leary declared that Ryanair would not install SpaceX's Starlink Wi-Fi service on its entire fleet because the weight and strength of the antenna mounted on the cabin roof would increase fuel costs.

In response, Musk called O'Leary 'uninformed' in a post on X.com, to which O'Leary responded by calling Musk an 'idiot'

Ryanair in 42nd year of operation

The Irish airline was co-founded by the late Tony Ryan in 1984 and is now the largest low-cost airline in Europe.

O'Leary stated that the purpose of the press conference previously scheduled for Wednesday was to 'respond to/show off Elon Musk's Twitter tantrum'.

Ryanair therefore launched a 'Big 'Idiot' Seat Sale' offering 100,000 seats from around $20.

"Thanks to Mr Musk," said the ceo. "Every one of these squabbles is great for bookings."

Il post su X

By Ryanair / O’Leary

According to EU regulations, Ryanair must be majority owned and controlled by EU citizens because it is a European airline. Therefore Musk cannot acquire a majority stake in it.

Meanwhile, Ryanair also plans to take delivery of its first Boeing Co. 737 Max 10 aircraft in January 2027, which shifts the date forward a few months from its original estimate.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary on Elon Musk:

"It's good free publicity for 𝕏 & also for Ryanair. Elon Musk is welcome to buy shares. He's very welcome to invest in Ryanair, but as a non European, he can't acquire control or ownership of Ryanair." pic.twitter.com/hBHX15YYlY
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) January 21, 2026