Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary criticises EU leadership over green policies

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has launched a verbal attack on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling her useless. Euronews and AOL.co.uk report that the airline boss voiced strong opposition to the European Union's current environmental direction. [1][2]

Euronews reported that O'Leary criticised the green policies of von der Leyen, arguing that they add complexity and cost to airline operations. He also called the European Parliament a ship of fools and claimed that its green legislation is directly driving up the cost of air travel for passengers. [1]

Von der Leyen is a German politician who has served as President of the European Commission since 2019 and was re-elected to lead the Commission in July 2024. Ryanair is an Irish ultra-low-cost airline based in Swords, County Dublin, and is the largest airline in Europe by scheduled passengers carried. [3][4]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, von der Leyen is scheduled to visit Budapest on Friday alongside European Council President António Costa and French President Emmanuel Macron. The official visit marks the 70th anniversary of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising. [6]