Cyprus Times

Ryanair-Musk Feud: Offer for 'Idiots'... One-Way Only

Published January 20, 2026, 20:09
Ryanair-Musk Feud: Offer for 'Idiots'... One-Way Only

As the world’s richest man asks online how much it would cost to buy Ryanair, the Irish airline responds with a discount “especially for him and any other idiot on X,” as it states in a post. With unabated… online intensity, the clash between Ryanair and Elon Musk continues, as the airline’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, “took up the gauntlet” thrown by the powerful man of SpaceX and Tesla, offering him a ticket for “idiots” – as stated in a relevant post on X – at the preferential price of €16.99 (one-way, no return). Specifically, Ryanair announced, with a humorous post on social media, the launch of an offer called “Great Idiots seat sale” which, it sarcastically states, is dedicated “especially to Elon Musk.” According to the “announcement,” the offer concerns 100,000 seats at a price of €16.99 for one-way flights and concerns “all the ‘idiots’ of X,” in a clearly sarcastic reference to Musk’s public statements. Ryanair, known for its aggressive and ironic communication style, also points out that its CEO will speak tomorrow, in a press conference in Dublin, about Elon Musk’s attacks on Ryanair. “Musk knows even less about airline ownership rules than he does about aircraft aerodynamics,” O’Leary himself states, according to the announcement, concluding: “Buy now, before Musk takes a seat.” @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/c0rHEiJrIz — Ryanair (@Ryanair) January 20, 2026 How the Musk-Ryanair feud started and escalated Elon Musk is said to have been angered by statements from Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary and has been appearing – at least through the comments he makes on X – determined to even go ahead with acquiring the airline. The public dispute between the world’s richest man and the head of Ryanair began when O’Leary refused to install Starlink’s satellite Wi-Fi on the company’s aircraft, prompting a reaction from Musk. This was followed by a series of posts from the American billionaire on the X platform, where he even published an online “poll” asking whether he should buy Ryanair and appoint someone named Ryan as its CEO. The ironic comments continued, with many social media users urging Musk to actually acquire the company and equip its flights with Wi-Fi. In one of his posts, Musk commented under an official Ryanair message: “How much does it cost to buy you?” adding that “he really wants to put a Ryan in charge of Ryanair.” Buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026 The tension escalated…