Elon Musk and Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, have recently engaged in a heated exchange following O’Leary’s decision not to equip Ryanair planes with Starlink internet. This disagreement ignited on January 14, when O’Leary publicly rejected the idea of providing in-flight Wi-Fi, citing concerns over increased fuel use. O’Leary pointed out that installing an antenna would add weight and drag, leading to what he described as a “two percent fuel penalty.”

O’Leary further noted that Ryanair’s passengers are unlikely to pay additional fees for Wi-Fi on brief, one-hour flights, as reported by The Independent. Ryanair, which operates numerous short- and medium-haul flights across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, currently does not offer on-board Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, Starlink, a service developed by SpaceX, provides high-speed internet via an expansive network of low-Earth orbit satellites. In light of O’Leary’s comments, SpaceX’s Starlink engineering VP, Michael Nicolls, responded on social media platform X.

Nicolls clarified that while a “two percent fuel impact” might apply to older terminals, Starlink’s equipment is more streamlined and efficient. Musk himself joined the conversation on X, criticizing O’Leary and calling him “misinformed.” Musk cautioned that Ryanair could lose out to competitors offering internet connectivity. In a more personal attack, Musk called the Ryanair CEO an “idiot” and suggested he should be fired.

O’Leary responded the following day (January 15) during an interview on Irish radio station Newstalk, where he said installing Starlink would cost the airline between $200 million and $250 million annually. He said: ‘In other words, about an extra dollar for every passenger we fly, and the reality for us is we can’t afford those costs. ‘Passengers won’t pay for internet usage; if it’s free, they’ll use it – but they won’t pay one euro each to use the internet.’ The Ryanair boss also hit back at Musk directly, telling listeners they should ‘pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk’.

‘He’s an idiot’, O’Leary added. ‘Very wealthy, but he’s still an idiot’. 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 to offer the service 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 in real time – free of charge – at 40,000ft with simple one-click access. The first of Emirates’ 232 Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with Starlink internet was scheduled to enter commercial service in November, with plans to accelerate installations across the carrier’s fleet at 14 aircraft per month.