A feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has escalated dramatically after the Irish airline boss branded the world's richest man an "idiot".
The dispute broke out when Mr O'Leary was questioned about whether Ryanair would follow carriers such as Lufthansa and British Airways in adopting Musk's Starlink Wi-Fi technology across its 650-strong fleet.
Mr O'Leary rejected the proposal, arguing that mounting antennas would lead to additional fuel drag, potentially adding up to $250million (£185.9million) to the airline's $5billion (£3.71billion) annual fuel costs.
Mr Musk labelled the Irishman's assessment "misinformed" on his X platform, triggering a rapid exchange of barbs between the businessmen.
Speaking to Newstalk radio, the 64-year-old airline boss pulled no punches: "I would pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk. He's an idiot. Very wealthy, but he's still an idiot.
"What Elon Musk knows about flights and drag would be zero."
Mr O'Leary maintained that passengers simply would not pay for onboard internet access, noting they might use free Wi-Fi but would refuse to spend even one euro for the service.
The Tesla and SpaceX boss responded by declaring that Mr O'Leary "needs to be fired."
A feud between Elon Musk and Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has escalated dramatically
|GETTY
He then posed a provocative question to his followers: "Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?"
The poll attracted nearly 900,000 responses, with more than three-quarters voting in favour.
Ryanair has now hit back with a new jab, launching a "Big Idiot Seat Sale" featuring a mock-up of both men on a plinth reading "big idiots".
The promotion offered 100,000 seats from £16.99, available "only for Elon Musk and any other 'idiots' on X".
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Mr O'Leary affirmed that Ryanair passengers would not pay for onboard internet access
| PADespite Mr Musk's history of following through on his threats to buy - including his purchase of Twitter for $44billion (£32.7billion) in 2022 after joking about buying it five years earlier - market observers appear unconvinced by his Ryanair overtures.
The airline's shares dipped nearly one per cent on Tuesday, suggesting investors see little prospect of a deal coming to fruition.
EU rules also present a fundamental obstacle to any takeover bid from the tycoon.
Airlines operating within the bloc must be majority-owned by EU nationals or citizens of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
Ryanair hit back with a characteristic jab, launching a 'Big Idiot Seat Sale'
|RYANAIR/X
Mr Musk, who holds American, Canadian and South African citizenship, would fall foul of these requirements.
Ryanair has confirmed that Mr O'Leary will hold a press conference on Wednesday to "address" the billionaire's “Twitter tantrum”.
In a statement posted on social media, the Irishman said that Mr Musk "knows even less about airline ownership rules than he does about aircraft aerodynamics".
The airline quipped: "Perhaps Musk needs a break?"
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