Why Ryanair is holding back on Elon Musk’s Starlink internet in the sky

Ryanair said it will look at adding in-flight Wi-Fi to its aircraft only when the cost comes down and the service suits passengers flying short routes across Europe. The airline said current technology does not yet make financial sense for its low-cost model.

The budget carrier said fitting aircraft with Starlink Wi-Fi would require installing an external antenna, which would increase fuel use by about 2%. Ryanair Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan said this added fuel drag would raise operating costs. He also said most Ryanair passengers are unwilling to pay for internet on flights that last around two hours.

Sorahan said passengers usually download movies or content on their devices before flying, reducing the need for onboard internet. Speaking in an interview on Bloomberg TV, he said, “I’ve been looking at this for the 23 years I’ve been in Ryanair, it’s getting better and better every year but it’s just not there yet.”


The comments follow a public exchange between Ryanair Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary and Elon Musk over the economics of using Starlink on aircraft. During the exchange, both executives called each other “idiots.” O’Leary later said the publicity helped increase Ryanair’s bookings by 2% to 3%.

Sorahan said the issue has now settled. “It’s pretty much behind us at this point in time,” he said. “It was two big idiots having a bit of fun with each other.”

Musk’s takeover remark
As part of the same online exchange, Musk posted on social media that he was considering buying Ryanair, a comment that drew attention during the debate over Starlink. The remark was made in response to criticism from O’Leary about the cost and practicality of installing the satellite internet service on Ryanair aircraft. The comment was not followed by any formal proposal and was widely seen as part of the public back-and-forth between the two executives.