A public and highly personal feud has erupted between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary, sparked by a disagreement over in-flight internet connectivity.
The Spark: Ryanair's Starlink Rejection
The row began after it emerged that Ryanair would not be installing Starlink internet technology across its fleet of 650 aircraft, the largest in Europe. In a radio interview with Ireland's Newstalk on Saturday 17 January 2026, O'Leary explained the decision, reasoning that the required antennae and hardware would add significant weight and drag to planes.
He argued this would increase operating costs and fuel consumption by hundreds of millions, a trade-off he deemed nonsensical for short-haul flights. O'Leary added that to recoup costs, Ryanair would have to charge for the Wi-Fi, a service he believes its budget-conscious customers would refuse to pay for.
Insults Fly on Air and Online
The clash turned personal when O'Leary dismissed Musk during the interview, calling him "an idiot" and advising listeners "not to pay any attention whatsoever to anything that Musk puts on that cesspit X."
Musk swiftly fired back on his social media platform, X, writing: "Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him." He had previously called O'Leary "misinformed," warning that the refusal to adopt Starlink would cause Ryanair to lose passengers to competitors like British Airways, which has installed the service.
O'Leary countered by dismissing Musk's expertise, stating his knowledge of running an airline amounted to "zero." Ryanair's official X account also joined the fray, mockingly asking Musk "perhaps you need Wi-Fi @elonmusk?" during a reported outage on his platform.
Wider Implications for Airline Connectivity
This very public spat highlights the ongoing debate within the aviation industry about the value and feasibility of high-speed satellite internet on board. While some carriers see it as an essential passenger amenity, others, like Ryanair, view the associated costs and engineering challenges as prohibitive for their low-cost, short-haul model.
The exchange underscores the tension between innovative technology providers and pragmatic airline operators focused squarely on the bottom line. Whether this war of words influences other airlines' decisions regarding in-flight Wi-Fi remains to be seen.
