Ryanair Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA) chief executive Michael O’Leary said he has sent a free flight ticket to Elon Musk and launched a 'Big Idiot' seat sale after the billionaire called for him to be fired.
Last week, after O'Leary ruled out the airline adopting internet connectivity using connectivity from Space's Starlink, Musk called the airline boss an "is an utter idiot. Fire him."
The owner of SpaceX and Tesla CEO went on to float the possibility that he could buy Ryanair.
In a press conference held by the Irish airline on Wednesday, CEO O'Leary claimed that the social media row had caused a sales bump of 2-3%.
He also said that Musk, because he has American and South Afircan citizenship, would not be able to become its new owner.
"Anyone is free to buy Ryanair shares, but non-Europeans cannot control a European airline," he told reporters.
He explained that the airline is open to in-flight wifi, but only if it can be installed without adding cost or fuel drag, highlighting the technical challenges and expense of modifying aircraft.
Discussions are ongoing with providers like Starlink, Amazon, and Vodafone, he suggested, adding that Ryanair will adopt the technology once it can be done cost-effectively, predicting future advancements will remove the need for external antennas.
Since Musk's social media spat, the airline launched a 'Big Idiot' or 'Great Idiot' seat sale to profit on the attention, with staff delivering a free ticket to the X headquarters in Dublin.
From the other place. C'mon @ryanairofficial.bsky.social
— bisphamgreen.bsky.social (@bisphamgreen.bsky.social) January 21, 2026 at 11:22 AM