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He’s never afraid to speak his mind but even Michael O’Leary is pushing it this time… Simon Harris and Jack Chambers have both let fly at the Ryanair boss over his description of rival airlines as ‘rapists’ but it looks like he’s doubling down

Developed over time first seen 2 months ago

Daily Mail · 2 months ago

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has sparked a major backlash after describing rival airlines as "rapists" over their pricing, prompting Ireland's Tánaiste Simon Harris and other government ministers to publicly demand he withdraw the remarks. The comments, made ahead of Ryanair's annual general meeting in Dublin, have been condemned by politicians, victims' campaign groups and a staff union as offensive and trivialising to survivors of sexual violence, yet O'Leary has so far refused to back down.

Speaking to reporters at Ryanair's headquarters, O'Leary claimed passengers would abandon "high-fare rapists" such as Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and British Airways in favour of Ryanair's cheaper fares, and when challenged repeated and defended the term, saying he was "absolutely" comfortable with the language and would "happily offend" the airlines named. Simon Harris called the remarks "clearly an inappropriate use of language" that O'Leary should rectify, while Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said they were "shocking". Campaign groups including Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rape Crisis England & Wales and the National Women's Council also criticised the comments, with one offering to provide O'Leary training on the harm caused by trivialising rape, and TD Ruth Coppinger branding the remarks "disgusting".

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In short

O'Leary called rival airlines "rapists" over high prices, sparking outrage.
Irish ministers Simon Harris and Jack Chambers demanded he withdraw the comments.
Campaign groups condemned the remarks; O'Leary has so far refused to apologise.

How this story developed

2 months ago Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has sparked a major backlash after describing rival airlines as "rapists" over their pricing, prompting Ireland's Tánaiste Simon Harris and other government ministers to publicly demand he withdraw the remarks.

Explained simply

Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline led by chief executive Michael O’Leary. It competes with airlines such as Aer Lingus, Lufthansa and British Airways, which generally charge higher fares on some routes. O’Leary is known for blunt public comments and for presenting low prices as a central part of Ryanair’s appeal.

Rape is a serious crime involving sexual violence, and support groups work with survivors and campaign against language that can make light of it. The dispute has drawn in Irish politicians, women’s organisations and an airline staff union, raising questions about the impact of corporate leaders’ language and how public figures should respond when it causes offence.