Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO erupt in war of words over airline’s refusal to install Starlink on board
Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary had harsh words after the airline boss confirmed there were no plans to include Starlink internet on the carrier’s aircraft.
The dispute began on Wednesday, January 14, when O’Leary rejected the idea of Ryanair installing in-flight Wi-Fi across its fleet, citing concerns about increased fuel consumption.
His comments prompted an immediate response from Musk-owned satellite internet service Starlink.
Speaking to Reuters, O’Leary said installing an antenna on the fuselage of the plane would add both weight and drag, resulting in what he called a “two percent fuel penalty.”
He added that Ryanair passengers were unlikely to pay extra for Wi-Fi on short one-hour flights, The Independent reported.
Ryanair operates thousands of short- and medium-haul services across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and does not currently offer in-car Wi-Fi to its customers.
Developed by SpaceX, Starlink provides high-speed internet through a vast network of satellites in low Earth orbit.
In response to O’Leary’s remarks, Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink engineering, favored X.
Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary (pictured) exchanged harsh words after the airline boss refused to install Starlink internet across the Ryanair fleet
O’Leary’s comments prompted an immediate response from Musk (pictured)
He explained that ‘a 2 percent fuel impact may be true for older terminals, but Starlink’s terminal is much lower profile and more efficient.’
Musk then weighed in, turning to X to criticize Ryanair’s boss.
He described O’Leary as ‘misinformed’ and warned Ryanair would lose customers to airlines offering internet access.
In another post, Musk labeled the CEO an ‘idiot’, writing: ‘Ryanair CEO is a complete idiot. ‘Fire him.’
O’Leary responded in an interview on Irish radio station Newstalk the next day (January 15), saying that installing Starlink would cost the airline between $200 million and $250 million annually.
He said: ‘In other words, it’s an extra dollar for every passenger we fly, and the reality for us is that we can’t afford those costs.
‘Passengers will not pay for internet use; If it’s free, they’ll use it, but they won’t pay one euro per person to use the internet.’
Ryanair’s boss also hit back at Musk directly, telling the audience they should “not pay any attention to Elon Musk.”
Starlink, a service that provides high-speed internet through a vast network of satellites in low Earth orbit, is owned by Musk.
Musk took to X this week to criticize Ryanair’s boss
Ryanair’s boss (pictured) also hit back at Musk directly, calling him a “complete idiot”.
“He’s an idiot,” O’Leary added. ‘Very rich but still a fool’.
Meanwhile, the ‘world’s best airline’ is upgrading its entire fleet with ultra-fast Starlink Wi-Fi, making it the world’s largest international airline offering services across its network.
From 23 November 2025, passengers on select Emirates aircraft will be able to stream, video call, game, work and browse social media for free at 40,000ft with simple one-click access.
The first of 232 Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with Emirates’ Starlink internet is scheduled to enter commercial service in November, with plans to accelerate installations across the carrier’s fleet to 14 aircraft per month.
