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Elon Musk has publicly raised the idea of acquiring Ryanair, as his ongoing dispute with the airline’s leadership continues to attract attention. The proposal surfaced through a poll posted on X, the platform owned by Mr Musk, where he asked followers whether he should buy the airline and reinstate “Ryan” as its leader.

The comments follow recent exchanges between Mr Musk and Ryanair over the possible use of Starlink internet services on flights. Starlink is operated by SpaceX, another company founded by Mr Musk, who is also the chief executive of Tesla.

Speaking to Newstalk last week, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary dismissed the idea of installing Starlink on the airline’s aircraft, stating that the technology would be too expensive to deploy. He also argued that the required external antenna would increase drag and that passengers would be unwilling to pay for onboard internet access. During the interview, Mr O’Leary said he would pay no attention to Mr Musk’s remarks.

Since then, Mr Musk has responded to posts from Ryanair’s official X account that mocked him over the disagreement. While his online comments are widely viewed as provocative, observers note that his acquisition of X, previously known as Twitter, began with an unexpected public offer after he had accumulated a significant shareholding.

Despite the online speculation, regulatory barriers make any takeover highly unlikely. Aviation rules prevent non-European citizens from owning a majority or controlling stake in an Irish airline. Following Brexit, Ryanair previously had to restrict share purchases to rebalance its shareholder base after British ownership exceeded permitted levels.

Ryanair is listed on Euronext Dublin and currently has a market capitalisation of approximately €30.4 billion. The airline expects to carry around 207 million passengers during the current financial year, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers.

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