Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary brands Musk’s X a ‘cesspit’ in ongoing row with tech billionaire

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has called Elon Musk’s X “a cesspit”, but said he would not take the Ryanair account off the platform amid an ongoing row with the tech billionaire.

Mr Musk floated the idea of buying the budget airline to "restore Ryan as their rightful ruler" in a feud with Mr O’Leary over the use of WiFi on Ryanair flights.

The airline chief said the company had been engaging with Mr Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system for 12 months about introducing WiFi on its planes.

He said that while Starlink is a “terrific” system, installing it would mean putting aerials on aircrafts that would result in fuel drag at a cost of 100 to 200 million euros.

The Tesla, X and SpaceX owner said the Ryanair boss “needs to be fired” and previously said Mr O’Leary’s calculation was wrong, calling him “an idiot”.

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“Elon Musk apparently took great umbrage and resorted to insulting me on X at the weekend, calling me an idiot,” Mr O’Leary said at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday as he launched a seat sale that is claimed to be “only available for Elon Musk and any other ‘idiots’ on X”.

He also said Mr Musk’s insults of him this week have boosted Ryanair bookings “significantly”.

“It is very good for our bookings and you know, we love these PR spats that drive bookings on Ryanair,” he told reporters.

“I’m sure it does wonders for Elon Musk and his X, or whatever subscribers he has on X as well, to be fighting with somebody.

“But you know, as long as it doesn’t involve safety, and we’ve never compromised on safety, any of these spats are great for bookings and great for awareness all over Europe.

“They’re up about 2% or 3% in the last five days, which, given our volumes, is a very significant boost.”.

Regarding X (formerly Twitter), Mr O’Leary said: “I do believe social media, X in particular, is a cesspit.

“I am not a member, never subscribed, don’t participate in it. But I find my personal objection to social media is anonymity.”

Asked about the prospect of a social media ban for under 16s, Mr O’Leary also said that there was no point but argued anonymity should be banned by governments.

“I think the most recent controversy with Grok undressing children or undressing women is, frankly, offensive”, he said. I don’t understand why governments don’t make it illegal. Women and children, and the occasional man I presume as well, should be protected from not having your images nudified.

“There’s enough porn out there for those who want to watch porn.”

He added: “Am I happy for Ryanair to be on it? Yes, I am. We have to be out there, whether it’s on Facebook or Instagram or God help us, we’re on TikTok.

“We have one of the biggest corporate accounts on TikTok, which I think, personally, is the greatest amount of rubbish I’ve ever seen. Talking airplanes, Jesus, is this what the world is coming to?”

Mr O’Leary was also asked about the prospect of an EU-US trade war, after President Trump threatened countries who opposed his demand for Greenland with trade tariffs.

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“If Trump threatens Europe with tariffs, Europe should respond in like measure, and Trump will chicken out, he generally does,” the airline CEO said.

“Europe is a big, wealthy economy, the second largest trading bloc in the world after the US economy, and Europe needs to get its act together.

“I don’t think a trade war would last very long, given the amount of American businesses that are based here in Europe, and given the amount of Europe imports from America and vice versa. But we have to have a more belligerent foreign policy towards certainly the Trump administration, and we would hope that eventually common sense will prevail.

“I don’t think Trump, eight months out from midterm elections, can afford to have a trade war with Europe.”

He said that Trump was right on increasing Nato spending and on “environmental taxation”, but was wrong on tariffs, Ukraine and Greenland.

“But where he’s wrong Europe should stand up as a strong trading block and tell him he’s wrong, and stop trying to pander to him and invite him to dinner.”