Will Musk buy ₹2.70 lakh crore European airline Ryanair?:World’s richest person asks for people’s opinion, calls the airline’s CEO O’Leary an ‘utter idiot’ hints at the company’s acquisition

The world’s richest person Elon Musk has asked his followers whether he should buy Europe’s largest budget airline ‘Ryanair’. Musk has sought opinions on this amid the controversy that started last week with company CEO Michael O’Leary. The cause of this controversy is Musk’s company Starlink. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said they won’t install Starlink internet in their airline fleet. He explained that the antenna mounted on the cabin roof would increase weight and drag, which could increase fuel costs by up to 2%. O’Leary had called Musk an idiot O’Leary said, passengers won’t pay extra money on an average 1-hour flight. He also said that he won’t pay any attention to Musk. He is an idiot. In response, Musk called him an utter idiot and said he should be removed from the company. Musk asked what would be the price to buy this airline? Ryanair: Europe’s Largest Budget Airline Ryanair is Europe’s largest low-cost airline and three times bigger than Dutch Lufthansa. Market value is around 30 billion euros (approximately ₹2.70 lakh crore). CEO Michael O’Leary is among the top 10 shareholders. Last year, the company’s shares rose by 55%. Musk’s Old Pattern: First Criticism, Then Acquisition Musk’s pattern is similar to when he bought Twitter (now X). Then too, he criticized the company’s operations and then-CEO Parag Agrawal’s decisions before eventually buying it. Now with Ryanair, he appears to be moving in the same direction. Starlink Already Present in Many Airlines Starlink is providing internet to many airlines. This includes companies like United Airlines, Qatar Airways, Alaska Airlines, West Jet. This is satellite based high-speed internet. Cost control is a major issue in low-cost carriers like Ryanair, so O’Leary refused.