Elon Musk has suggested he could buy Ryanair and called for its chief executive to be fired amid a deepening spat between the pair.

The budget airline on Tuesday branded the Tesla chief executive an "idiot", and used the extraordinary row to promote its January sale.

Musk and Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary have been trading insults over the past week after O'Leary rejected the idea of using Musk's Starlink technology to provide wi-fi on flights.

The two are among the world's most outspoken business chiefs, with Musk the world's richest man with an estimated net worth of $769bn (£573bn), and O'Leary running Europe's busiest airline.

A statement on Ryanair's X account on Tuesday evening said: "Perhaps Musk needs a break??