Michael O’Leary has shrugged off concerns for his personal safety after climate change protesters threw cream pies in his face, and says that the airline industry is being unfairly blamed for climate change.
The Ryanair CEO was accosted by two women outside the European Commission in Brussels last Thursday as he was preparing to hand in a petition.
“Stop the pollution of your planes,” they told Mr O’Leary before striking him with two cream pies.
Speaking to Sky News before the Ryanair AGM in Dublin, the colourful chief executive joked about keeping an eye out for flying pies, but denied the incident had made him concerned for his own safety as climate protests continue.
“No,” he shrugged. “We got 10 times more publicity than I would’ve for a boring old petition anyway, and if the cost of that is the occasional cream cake, then we’re up for it.”
“It’s the first time environmentalists have given me cake,” he quipped.
“I think aviation gets unfairly blamed for climate change. Shipping accounts for 5% of Europe’s CO2 emissions, airlines account for 2%. Nobody complains about the ferries. We’re a bit of a poster boy for the climate change movement.
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“I actually have got a spare shirt today, just in case. Some lunatics might be let loose in the building – there’s lots of them in a Ryanair building.”
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At the AGM, Ryanair shareholders approved a huge deal with Boeing, that will see the airline purchase 300 new 737-Max-10 aircraft, allowing Ryanair to nearly double passenger capacity over the next decade.
Mr O’Leary told shareholders it would be “transformational”.
The list price for the 300 aircraft is about £32bn, but the CEO said he had secured “very competitive discounts” from Boeing.
The Max-10 planes will replace Ryanair’s older 737NGs and can carry around 40 extra passengers per aircraft, allowing for greater fuel efficiency.
Mr O’Leary told Sky News that there were no penalty clauses for late delivery included in the deal, having previously attacked Boeing for failing to deliver on time. He had described the Seattle manufacturer’s bosses as acting like “headless chickens”, but struck a more conciliatory tone today.
“I think we’re back working closely with them, but it’s still challenging,”s he said. “They continue to visit delays on us. These delays are really costly for us.”
Some factors were outside Boeing’s control, he acknowledged, adding that manufacturing passenger aircraft is not as simple as “making dogfood.”
