Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary described airlines such as British Airways and Aer Lingus as 'high-fare rapists' in a rant over fares ahead of his airline's annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday09:57, 10 Sep 2026Updated 13:04, 10 Sep 2026Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary compares other airlines to 'rapists'Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary sickeningly compared other airlines to "rapists" in a rant over fares today.‌Mr O’Leary, chief executive officer of the Irish low-cost airline, made the remarks ahead of Ryanair's annual general meeting in Dublin on Thursday.‌The billionaire businessman claimed rising travel fares at other airlines would see passengers switch to Ryanair.‌He told reporters at the company’s headquarters: "You might find some people will choose not to fly with Ryanair - but you know they’ll be overrun with the people abandoning Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, BA, and others desperate to get to Ryanair's low fares because they can’t afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe."He later repeated his reference to "high-fare rapists".Asked whether this was appropriate language, Mr O’Leary told reporters: "Absolutely."‌Challenged on whether it was offensive to victims of rape and sexual assault, he said he would "happily offend" the airlines mentioned.Further pressed on whether the language was trivialising rape, he doubled down, saying: "That’s what I call high-fare airlines like Lufthansa, BA, and others."‌When asked by the Mirror whether Mr O’Leary equates high-fare airlines with rape and sexual assault, a Ryanair spokesperson said: "We have no further comment to add."The chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Rachel Morrogh, said she was "dismayed" at Mr O’Leary’s "lazy" and "uninformed comments"."It feels like Mr O’Leary is chasing soundbites with no regard for how they may affect people. Undoubtedly, the words of high-profile individuals can contribute to trivialising and tolerating sexual violence in our society," she said.‌"And for many survivors of rape, his words will be deeply hurtful and angering to hear. I will write to Mr O’Leary to offer him training on how the trivialisation of rape is so harmful. He has verbalised a historical trope and as a leading figure in industry, he should lead from the front in terms of what he says and does."In further comments before Ryanair's annual general meeting, Mr O’Leary repeated his calls for Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of National Air Traffic Services (NATS), to step down. It comes after a technical failure at the UK's main air traffic provider caused more than 2,000 flights to be cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday.Speaking about Mr Rolfe, the Ryanair boss said: "He keeps hiding behind safety. You know, you can’t run a safe airspace by grounding every aircraft. You know, it’s nonsense, so we think he should go."Article continues belowHe added: "But then, it’s 49 per cent owned by the UK Government, and they’re clearly trying to protect him."It is beyond my comprehension how the guy who has visited three collapses on UK ATC [air traffic control[ is asked to do the investigation into his own screw-ups. So we think he should be sacked and somebody competent brought in to do the job."Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told MPs on Wednesday that she had asked the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct an independent review into the incident, which is due to report to her within six months.