Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has launched a savage attack on his rivals and the EU, adding that he believes his carrier will be cleared of taking “illegal” aid from airports in Europe.
As reported by News From Abroad, the European Commission is currently investigating possible illegal aid form Belgium’s Charleroi airport after complaints from rival carriers. But Mr O’Leary reportedly told The Times he believed that the Commission will merely shorten the length of Ryanair’s deals with airports rather than insisting on a new arrangement.
He reportedly told the newspaper: “The impact will be minimal – there will be a few changes to appease the high-fares airlines. They might shorten our airports agreements, say, from 15 to five years.” And the combative Mr O’Leary reportedly went even further in a speech to the European Policy Centre; The Guardian reports that he launched a “savage, expletive-ridden attack on Eurocrats, high-fare rivals and Britain’s air traffic controllers”.
Among O’Leary’s reported gems were: “We are not going to be shouldered with stupid legislation coming out of Brussels,” and “No, we shouldn’t give you a bloody cup of coffee is a flight is delayed – we only charge 19 euros for the original ticket”.
