Image: British Airways
Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary are trading insults after the low-cost airline publicly ruled out adopting Starlink-powered in-flight Wi-Fi, sparking a very public and very Musk-like escalation (via Reuters).
Earlier this week, O’Leary dismissed the idea of installing Starlink terminals across Ryanair’s fleet of more than 600 aircraft, arguing the hardware would increase aerodynamic drag and fuel burn by roughly 2%, while also costing airlines up to $250 million per year. Ryanair also claimed its passengers wouldn’t be willing to pay for the service.
That explanation immediately raised eyebrows. Starlink has been gaining significant momentum in aviation, with airlines repeatedly pointing to its low-profile antenna design as a major advantage over legacy satellite systems. In fact, SpaceX’s VP of Starlink engineering, Michael Nicolls, quickly pushed back on X, saying a 2% fuel penalty “might be true for legacy terminals,” but that Starlink’s equipment is far more efficient. According to Nicolls, internal analysis shows fuel burn on a Boeing 737-800 would increase by only about 0.3% while delivering dramatically faster, more reliable connectivity.
Musk amplified that rebuttal, suggesting Starlink could likely get fuel impact “under 0.1%,” while accusing Ryanair of being misinformed and unable to accurately measure such small differences, especially on short flights.
Things escalated further after O’Leary doubled down during an interview with Irish radio station Newstalk, calling Musk an “idiot,” saying he knew “zero” about aviation, and labeling X a “cesspit.”
Musk’s response was swift. “Ryanair CEO is an utter idiot. Fire him,” he said in an X post on Friday. When a user suggested Musk should buy Ryanair and fire O’Leary himself, Musk replied: “Good idea.”
The spat comes as Starlink continues to rack up airline partners. Carriers like United Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, flydubai, and Ryanair’s regional rival Lufthansa are all rolling out Starlink Wi-Fi, usually offering it free to passengers. Lufthansa recently confirmed plans to bring Starlink aboard its fleet starting this year, while Qatar Airways now operates the world’s largest Starlink-equipped widebody fleet.
To be fair, installing Starlink isn’t cheap, and not every airline can absorb the upfront hardware costs. Still, Ryanair’s drag-based argument looks increasingly shaky as rivals cite lower drag, fuel savings, and terrestrial broadband-level speeds as reasons for switching.
For now, Ryanair is staying out — while Musk, unsurprisingly, is not staying quiet.
Update (17/1/2026): On early Saturday morning, Musk asked his X followers if he should buy Ryanair and get someone actually named Ryan to run it.
