Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has launched a blistering critique against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, describing her as "useless" for failing to deliver economic competitiveness and criticizing European Union environmental taxes that exempt foreign airlines.
Speaking on the Europe Today programme while visiting Brussels, O’Leary argued that EU climate levies unfairly target intra-bloc flights while exempting American, Asian, and Chinese carriers. He noted that non-European airlines generate more than half of Europe's aviation emissions, calling the current regulatory setup a "stupid system" created by von der Leyen and the European Parliament. O’Leary urged EU leaders to introduce a "fair and reasonable" levy on every flight arriving in or departing from Europe, demanding that European authorities "tax the Americans when they land here in Europe" if they are genuinely committed to market competitiveness.
Characterizing the European Parliament as a "ship of fools" introducing regulations that drive up travel costs, O’Leary criticized von der Leyen for failing to implement the policy road map set out in the Draghi Report. O'Leary asserted that two years later, none of its recommendations have been implemented while von der Leyen "hides in the Berlaymont doing nothing except giving speeches." Recent findings published last month by the Joint European Disruptive Initiative indicated that the EU has implemented 26% of Draghi’s recommendations, noting that while progress is real, it remains out of sync with global momentum.
O’Leary's remarks came as Ryanair unveiled its winter schedule in Brussels, where the low-cost carrier is cutting one million seats and 20 routes from Belgium. The reduction follows a tax hike by Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s government, which increased Belgium's air travel tax from €2 to €7 per ticket. O’Leary stated that Ryanair is relocating aircraft to more competitive destinations, describing Belgium and France as uncompetitive and calling Germany "hopelessly uncompetitive."
The Ryanair boss also warned passengers to expect significantly higher airfares in 2027. While the airline guarantees no fuel surcharges for now by hedging this year’s fuel costs at roughly $67 a barrel, O’Leary expects that price to double next year when the price protection agreement expires. His warning coincides with escalating conflict in the Middle East that has driven crude prices higher. International benchmark Brent crude closed at $109.86 a barrel on Friday, its highest point since May, and has since passed $110 amid tanker attacks threatening oil shipments in the Persian Gulf.
