Ryanair chief called Musk an “idiot” and said the feud with him brought the company $40 million in free advertising

**Ryanair Boss Calls Musk an "Idiot" and Says Feud Brought Company $40M in Free Advertising**

Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive of Ireland's Ryanair, stated that he has no intention of reconciling with Elon Musk. Their conflict began in January 2026 after Ryanair refused to install Starlink satellite internet on its aircraft. O'Leary says the feud with the billionaire brought the company $30–40 million worth of free advertising.

"I have no desire to make peace with him. He thinks I'm an idiot, and I know he's an idiot," O'Leary said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on November 2.

He did not hide his satisfaction with the continuation of the clash: "If we can wind him up again, so much the better."

These remarks were made several days after Ryanair competitor, British airline EasyJet, reached an agreement with SpaceX to install Starlink internet on its aircraft. Prior to this, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France-KLM had also signed contracts with Musk's company.

### How did the feud start?

The conflict began in mid-January when O'Leary explained why Ryanair declined Starlink. According to him, the company had been in negotiations with SpaceX for more than a year, but ultimately concluded that installing the system was not economically viable.

According to O'Leary, the antennas mounted on the aircraft fuselage increase air resistance, raising fuel consumption by 1–2 percent. Ryanair estimated that this could incur an additional €200–250 million in costs per year.

Furthermore, O'Leary expressed doubt that passengers on low-cost flights, which often last just an hour, would pay extra for internet. In his view, fewer than 10 percent of passengers might use the service.

Musk refuted Ryanair's calculations, stating that Starlink equipment would not impact fuel consumption to the extent claimed by the airline.

In response, O'Leary said in an interview with Ireland's Newstalk radio that Musk knows nothing about aviation and aerodynamics. He called the billionaire himself an "idiot" and his X social network a "cesspool."

Musk also called the Ryanair chief a "complete idiot" and demanded his dismissal.

### Musk suggested buying Ryanair

Following the mutual insults, one X user advised Musk to buy Ryanair and fire O'Leary. The billionaire supported the idea and asked how much the airline costs.

He then conducted a poll among his followers about buying Ryanair and turning it over to someone with the surname Ryan in honor of the company's founder, Tony Ryan.

Nearly 948 thousand people participated in the poll, with 76.5 percent supporting the idea.

However, Musk made no official offer to buy the airline. Moreover, European Union law could also pose an obstacle, as the majority stake in EU airlines must belong to and remain under the control of EU citizens or member states.

### Ryanair turned the spat into advertising

Ryanair, meanwhile, used the dispute as a unique promotional tool. The company announced a campaign titled "Big Discount for Idiots," putting 100 thousand one-way tickets on sale starting from €16.99.

The airline also continued mocking Musk on social media. For instance, during an outage on the X platform, Ryanair addressed the billionaire, asking if he needed Wi-Fi.

At a press conference on January 21, O'Leary stated that Musk's insults did not offend him at all. He even joked that his teenage children regularly call him an "idiot" and an "intolerable chimpanzee."

Ryanair representatives even went to X's Dublin office attempting to deliver a free flight voucher for Musk. According to O'Leary, within a week, nearly 1,500 reports about the conflict were published across 49 countries. As a result, visits to the Ryanair website and flight bookings increased.

At the end of January, he estimated the value of the free advertising at nearly €50 million. In November, he cited a figure of $30–40 million. Both amounts are O'Leary's own estimates and have not been confirmed by an independent audit.

Nevertheless, the Ryanair chief did not completely rule out the possibility of using Starlink in the future. He previously stated that if the system's price decreases, the company might install it on its aircraft.