Latest news with #MICHAELO'Leary
Irish Post
28-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
O'Leary discusses possible Ryanair replacement
MICHAEL O'Leary, the outspoken CEO of Ryanair, is setting his sights on the future for the airline—while also beginning to map out the path for his eventual succession. Now 64, O'Leary has no plans to leave in 2028 when his current contract ends, but he acknowledges that the final decision lies with Ryanair's board and shareholders. 'I have no desire to leave in 2028,' he said to the Irish Independent. O'Leary's target is to lead Ryanair to 300 million passengers annually by 2034, a goal tied closely to securing a major aircraft order from Boeing, Airbus, or possibly Chinese manufacturer Comac. Achieving that, he predicts, could see the airline delivering profits of €3–4 billion a year. While he remains committed to leading Ryanair toward that goal, succession planning is already well underway. He has name-checked four young leaders—all in their 30s and 40s—who he believes are well-placed to take over: Neil McMahon (operations), Jason McGuinness (commercial), Dara Brady (sales and marketing), and Tracey McCann (CFO of Ryanair DAC). These individuals, he said, are already driving much of the airline's day-to-day performance. O'Leary dismissed the idea of recruiting an external candidate from other major airlines, saying Ryanair's internal talent pool is far better suited to its unique business model. 'You can't exactly go to another airline like Aer Lingus, BA or Lufthansa — all of whom are much smaller than us — to find the next CEO of Ryanair.' He emphasised that any future CEO should compete for the role but acknowledged that internal candidates would hold an advantage. Ryanair's next generation of leadership, with an average age around 40, is already being groomed for the top roles, he said, underlining that the board annually reviews succession plans in case of any unexpected changes. Outside of airline matters, O'Leary remained as combative as ever. He ruled out a run for the Irish presidency, calling it an 'overpaid non-job,' and voiced frustration with the Irish government over airport passenger caps, housing, and transport policy. 'We're hampered by inexplicable government incompetence,' he said, pointing to stalled expansion plans at Dublin Airport and what he sees as political dithering. He also weighed in on the Airbnb debate, calling for aggressive taxation to free up local housing in tourist-heavy cities, noting, 'You can't service the visitors unless local people can afford accommodation.' After nearly four decades at the helm, O'Leary insists he still gets a 'kick' out of running the airline—albeit a different kind than when Ryanair was flying just a million passengers a year. Today, it flies over 660,000 daily. 'I'd like to see us grow to over a million passengers a day,' he said, and with his plans firmly in place, he just might stick around long enough to make it happen. See More: Michael O'Leary, Ryanair
The Journal
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Ryanair boss confirms staff are paid commission to nail people on oversized cabin bags
RYANAIR CEO MICHAEL O'Leary has confirmed many people's suspicions – that staff at the airline are paid commission on each bag they charge the oversized fee on. The standard fee is usually between €70 and €75. Ryanair says that it charges a fee of €13 per kilo on excess baggage, including checked baggage. Speaking this morning on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, O'Leary said that Ryanair staff are paid €1.50 per bag, and that they are thinking about increasing the commission rate in a bid to tackle what he called a 'scourge' of passengers arriving with oversized baggage. Asked about proposed EU rules that would allow passengers on flights to bring a 7kg bag and small personal bag free of charge, O'Leary cast doubt on whether the regulations would pass into law. 'On our aircraft, we're flying largely full flights, about half the passengers can bring two bags, or the other half can only bring one bag, because that's all that fits in the plane,' he said. 'In fact, we're already struggling with that amount of baggage, and that's one of the reasons we are so aggressive about eliminating the scourge of passengers with excess baggage. 'One of the things that irritates our passengers most is the one or two people who show but a rogue fact, claiming that it fits in the sizer. If it doesn't fit in the sizer, it's not getting on.' Advertisement He said that the airline's passengers will be paying excess baggage fees if they don't comply with the size and weight restrictions, and that Ryanair 'is happy' to incentivise its staff with a share of the fees. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The airline today announced its net profit more than doubled in its first quarter thanks to higher air fares. Profit after tax soared to €820m in the three months to the end of June from €360m in the same period a year earlier. Passenger traffic rose four% to almost 58 million and average air fares increased by 21%. Revenue grew 20% to €4.34 billion. O'Leary noted that passenger growth will be constrained over the full year due to 'heavily delayed Boeing deliveries.'. Ryanair 'cautiously expects to recover almost all of last year's seven percent full-year fare decline, which should lead to reasonable net profit growth' in the full year, he added. However, he warned that the outlook remains 'heavily exposed' to risks including tariff wars, macroeconomic shocks and conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
