Michael O’Leary has denounced Elon Musk as an “idiot” and urged people to pay “no attention whatsoever” to the world’s richest man. 

The war of words erupted after Mr Musk described Mr O’Leary as “misinformed” about the capabilities of his company, Starlink, which provides high speed internet internationally. 

After Ryanair announced they would not be installing the technology onboard, citing the extra fuel it would require, Mr Musk said he doubted the company could “measure the difference in fuel use accurately, especially for a one hour flight, where the incremental drag is basically zero during the ascent phase due to high angle of attack.”

On The Hard Shoulder, Mr O’Leary said that “what Elon Musk knows about flights and drag would be zero”. 

 “We've already had Boeing confirm we have to put an aerial antenna on top of the aircraft; now, that will cost us about a 2% fuel drag,” he explained. 

“Our fuel bill a year is five billion; it would cost us about $200, $250 million a year. 

“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 free for internet usage; if it's free, they'll use it - but they won't pay one euro each to use the internet.” 

 

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Mr O’Leary added that he would not be paying attention to anything else Mr Musk wrote on his social media “cesspit” X.  

“He was the guy who advocated getting Donald Trump elected,” he said. 

“I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk. He's an idiot - very wealthy, but he's still an idiot.”

Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Picture by: White House

Mr O’Leary continued that he was “thankfully” too old to have any social media accounts but suggested that no one should be allowed to post anonymously on any platform. 

“By the way, if we want to clean up social media, there's one simple thing this Government could do - take away the anonymity,” he urged. 

“Everybody on social media should be on social media using their own names. [Take away the anonymity;] the anonymity that allows the pedophiles and all the other kind of deviants to operate there. 

“It is a mystery to me why any elected Government allows anonymity on social media.

“If you want to go on social media, by all means, publish the crap or the rubbish that you publish there under your own name.”

Main image: A split of Michael O'Leary and Elon Musk. Pictures by: Rolling News and Alamy.com.