Billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk once again joked about acquiring Irish ultra-low-cost airline, Ryanair Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:RYAAY).
Will Appoint A ‘Ryan’ To Lead The Airline
On Monday, in a post on X, Musk replied to Ryanair’s official X account, asking, “How much would it cost to buy you?” in response to the airline dismissing “Wi-Fi on planes” as a propaganda that it wasn’t falling for, in a subtle dig against Musk and his Starlink satellite internet service.
Musk also said that he wants to put “a Ryan in charge of Ryan Air” after acquiring the budget airliner, saying, “It is your destiny.”
This comes just days after Musk had a heated online disagreement with the airline’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, regarding installing Starlink’s internet devices across its fleet.
O’Leary dismissed the idea, citing increased fuel costs resulting from the additional weight and drag of the devices, projecting that it could cost the company $250 million annually.
In response, Musk called O’Leary an “utter idiot,” saying that he should be fired, while floating the idea of acquiring the Irish aviation giant to do so.
No-Frills Carrier Says No To Starlink
The airline is known for its no-frills, short-haul model, charging extra for nearly every convenience, from priority boarding to the ability for friends and families to sit together.
O’Leary has often floated eyebrow-raising ideas to cut costs. He once suggested charging passengers to use onboard toilets, arguing it could allow the airline to remove one lavatory and convert the space into six additional seats.
The CEO has also promoted the idea of a “standing cabin,” where travelers would remain upright for short flights, a concept he described as being “very safe,” during an interview on The Late Late Show in 2012.
Ryanair is among the largest airliners in the world, having transported 200 million passengers during 2024-2025, making it a significant potential customer base for Musk’s Starlink internet service. However, given its unrelenting focus on value, this seems unlikely to happen.
The company has a market capitalization of $35.84 billion, which is just a fraction of Musk’s enormous $640 billion net worth. While it seems like Musk was joking about his intention to buy the airline, Ryanair’s shares have surged 4.45% overnight following his post.
The stock scores high on Momentum and Value in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, with a favorable price trend in the short, medium and long terms.
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