Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary told Italy’s Corriere della Sera that Europe could soon face a new wave of airline bankruptcies, while the continent’s largest low-cost carrier continues to expand its network at their expense. At the same time, he sharply criticized Wizz Air, which he believes is heading toward financial collapse, and predicted that EasyJet will eventually be divided between Air France-KLM and British Airways.
“There are too many so-called low-cost airlines in Europe that actually operate with high costs. We’ve already seen Play and Braathens go bankrupt, and there will be more before Christmas. Wizz Air is in serious trouble,” O’Leary said in Rome, where Ryanair decided to withdraw one aircraft from Fiumicino due to high operating costs.
The Ryanair chief claimed that Wizz Air has jeopardized its own future: “They sold their own aircraft and leased them back at high interest rates, presenting it as profit. It’s a kind of Ponzi scheme — the more you grow, the more you make, but when growth stops, it all collapses. Today they’re scattered everywhere: they tried to conquer Italy, then Vienna, then the Middle East, and now they’re closing their Abu Dhabi base because they discovered there’s sand in the desert. Now they’re announcing Kazakhstan and Poland, but we’re already there.”
According to O’Leary, investors and airports are already losing confidence in Wizz Air: “Airport directors privately tell us that Wizz still flies from their bases, but they fear it will disappear next year.”
In his view, EasyJet isn’t in great shape either. “It’s not collapsing, but it’s not growing. It’s strong only at London Gatwick, in Paris, and in Switzerland. In the medium term, I expect Air France-KLM to take over its operations in France and Switzerland, and British Airways to take over those in Gatwick.”
O’Leary also commented on Ryanair’s dispute with Aena, the operator of almost all Spanish airports, which he accused of “blackmail.” “Aena is a monopoly that charges the same fees in Madrid and Barcelona as in empty regional airports like Valladolid and Jerez. We offered to grow if they lowered the charges, but they refused. So, we withdrew one million seats from Spanish regional airports and redirected them — half to major Spanish bases and half to Italy, where regions such as Sicily and Calabria abolished their local tax.”
When asked whether Ryanair is abusing its dominant position, O’Leary replied: “Absolutely not. We fight for lower costs and taxes. That’s my job — to shout and complain about stupid fees and excessive charges. At the same time, we’re growing like crazy in Poland and the UK.”
He also revealed that starting November 12, boarding passes will only be available through the Ryanair app, but reassured passengers who prefer paper: “If someone shows up with a printed boarding pass, of course, we’ll let them fly. We’ll keep accepting them throughout the winter.”
Known for his sharp tongue and tough stance on passengers with oversized luggage, O’Leary rejected claims that Ryanair is an “unfriendly” airline. “We’ve increased the gate staff bonus from one to 2.5 euros for every oversized bag detected, but the number of such cases keeps dropping. When everyone follows the rules, boarding goes faster and everything runs more smoothly. And we still offer the lowest fares.”
According to him, average ticket prices will rise by 6 to 7 percent this year but will remain at 2023 levels, while passenger numbers are expected to grow by 20 percent.
