Ryanair Dismisses Elon Musk's Starlink In-Flight Wi-Fi Plans Citing 'Idiotic' Costs and Fuel Drag Penalties

Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost carrier, has formally ruled out equipping its fleet of more than 600 aircraft with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service. The decision, announced by Chief Executive Michael O'Leary, sets the budget airline apart from a growing list of global carriers that are adopting the high-speed, low-latency technology to provide 'home-like' connectivity at 35,000 feet.

In a characteristically blunt assessment delivered during an interview with Irish broadcaster Newstalk on 14 January 2026, O'Leary dismissed the commercial viability of the service for Ryanair's short-haul model. He cited concerns over increased operational costs, specifically the physical 'drag' caused by external antennas, and questioned whether passengers on average flights of just over one hour would be willing to pay for the amenity.

The 'Fuel Penalty' and Operational Costs

The primary obstacle for Ryanair is the technical requirement of mounting an aerial antenna to the aircraft fuselage. O'Leary claimed that adding such hardware to the airline's predominantly Boeing 737 fleet would result in a 2% fuel penalty due to the combined effects of weight and aerodynamic drag.

According to O'Leary, this modification would cost the airline between $200 million and $250 million (£157 million to £196 million) annually. 'In other words, an extra dollar for every passenger we fly,' O'Leary stated, as reported by Reuters. 'The reality for us is we can't afford those costs. Passengers won't pay for internet or internet usage. If it's free, they'll use it, but they won't pay one euro each,' he added, according to The National News.

A Public Exchange of Insults

The snub prompted a sharp response from Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla. Musk took to his social media platform, X, to label O'Leary an 'utter idiot' and suggested that Ryanair would lose customers to competitors that offer modern connectivity. Musk argued that O'Leary's estimates on fuel drag were 'misinformed,' claiming the incremental drag is 'basically zero' during the ascent phase of short flights.

Michael Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering, further countered the airline's claims, stating that SpaceX's analysis showed a fuel increase of only 0.3% on a Boeing 737-800, as cited by The Times of India. O'Leary remained unmoved by the technical defense, retorting that what Musk knows about 'flights and drag would be zero' and describing X as a 'cesspit,' according to Simple Flying.

Diverging Paths in European Aviation

Ryanair's refusal to adopt Starlink highlights a widening divide between ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) and full-service airlines. While Ryanair focuses on maintaining a basic, price-driven service with rapid 25-minute turnarounds, other European giants are moving in the opposite direction.

Lufthansa and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have both recently announced plans to integrate Starlink across their fleets. Air France has also committed to a fleet-wide rollout of free high-speed Wi-Fi beginning in 2025, according to Travel Mole. For these carriers, free connectivity is increasingly viewed as a premium differentiator rather than an optional add-on.

For Ryanair, the priority remains operational simplicity. The airline's current on-board experience relies on its 'Runway Retail' app, which allows passengers to order food and duty-free goods without requiring an active internet connection. As the carrier targets a goal of 300 million passengers per year by 2034, O'Leary maintains that the low-fare model is incompatible with the expensive retrofitting required for satellite internet.