Ryanair responded with humor and provocation to Elon Musk’s statements about a possible purchase of the airline, launching an ironic promotional campaign entitled “for idiots”, with tickets starting at 16.99 euros.
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— Ryanair (@Ryanair)
It all started after an exchange of messages on X, when Musk jokingly suggested that he could buy Ryanair and put someone named Ryan in charge. The Irish low cost wasted no time and announced a flash sale, accompanied by a satirical image involving Elon Musk and the company’s CEO, Michael O’Leary.
Don’t thank us, thank that big “IDIOT” 👀
Sale now on👇
— Ryanair (@Ryanair)
In a statement shared on social media, Ryanair said O’Leary would comment on Musk’s “latest nonsense”, adding that the American businessman “knows even less about airline ownership rules than he does about aerodynamics”.
The company also took the opportunity to promote 100,000 places for travel between February and April, sarcastically highlighting that the campaign was dedicated to Musk and other users of the social network.
Despite the exchange of barbs, the idea of a purchase is, in practice, unfeasible. European Union rules require that airlines operating within the community are majority owned and controlled by EU citizens. As a North American citizen, Musk would be prevented from taking control of Ryanair without a profound change in the shareholder structure, which would put the company’s licenses at risk.
Michael O’Leary devalued the episode, calling Musk a “rich idiot” and ensuring that he does not pay attention to his statements. Even so, the controversy generated enormous visibility on social media, accumulating millions of views and reinforcing the irreverent image of Ryanair’s communication strategy.
