Ryanair and Elon Musk exchange jabs after X outage rekindles Starlink feud

A widespread outage of social media platform X in the United States has sparked a new online spat between Ryanair and platform owner Elon Musk.

Ireland’s low-cost carrier did not miss the opportunity to comment, posting one of their many (non-aviation related) tongue-in-cheek messages on X: “Perhaps you need Wi-Fi, Elon Musk.” The sarcastic remark quickly drew a response from Musk himself, who replied: “Should I buy Ryan Air and put someone whose actual name is Ryan in charge?”

While the exchange amused many users, the confrontation is rooted in a longer-running dispute between Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary: the online feud traces back to earlier comments made by O’Leary regarding Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service. The Ryanair chief previously stated that the airline has no interest in installing Starlink onboard its aircraft.

According to O’Leary, the required antennas would add extra weight and aerodynamic drag, resulting in what he described as a “2% fuel penalty.” He also argued that passengers on Ryanair’s short-haul flights, which typically last around one hour, would not be willing to pay extra for onboard Wi-Fi.

Musk responded sharply at the time, calling O’Leary “poorly informed.” He claimed that the additional drag during short-haul operations, particularly during takeoff, is “practically zero” and warned that Ryanair could lose customers to competitors offering fast onboard connectivity.

O’Leary later reignited the dispute during an interview with Irish radio station Newstalk, where he referred to Musk as an “idiot” and described X as a “cesspit (sewer).”