Ryanair CEO O'Leary disputes window blowout account and defends remarks on rival airlines at AGM

Disputed mid-air window failure

At a press conference following Ryanair's annual general meeting in Dublin, chief executive Michael O'Leary disputed accounts that a passenger was pulled through a broken window during a flight on July 10. The incident occurred on a Boeing 737-800 operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air, flying at approximately 16,000 feet from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Germany with 149 passengers on board. A broken fan blade in the right engine sent debris into the fuselage, shattering the window next to seat 11F, where 61-year-old Serbian passenger Ljubisa Karovic was seated.

He wasn't partially out the window. We don't think any part of his body got out the window, but he was certainly sucked in very dramatic circumstances towards the window.

Karovic suffered shoulder and neck injuries along with friction burns, and his lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, said four or five witnesses saw his upper body pulled through the opening before his wife and other passengers pulled him back. A preliminary report from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board stated that a flight attendant observed the passenger partially lodged in the damaged window frame. O'Leary rejected these claims and stated the airline will contest compensation demands.

Backlash over remarks on rival carriers

O'Leary also drew widespread criticism from advocacy groups and survivors of sexual assault after describing competitors including Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, and British Airways as high-fare rapists. Defending his wording to reporters, O'Leary said the characterization was appropriate when discussing ticket pricing differences. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Rachel Morrogh called on O'Leary to apologize and accept training, stating that comparing ticket sales to sexual violence trivializes the trauma experienced by victims.

We really want Michael O'Leary to apologise and to set a tone from the top, to say that he realises that the comments that he made were inappropriate and they were wrong.

National Women's Council of Ireland executive director Corrinne Hasson described the comments as offensive to survivors, arguing that flippant references to sexual violence normalize abusive language. Advocacy group Eist added that industry executives should challenge rather than normalize such terminology. In a separate remark at the event, O'Leary accused the head of the United Kingdom air traffic control operator of lying about an earlier service outage.

Fuel expenses, winter capacity and management contract

Addressing market conditions, O'Leary cautioned that elevated oil and jet fuel expenses will affect the airline sector heading into 2027. Brent crude was trading at $104 per barrel on Thursday, while the International Air Transport Association reported that global jet fuel prices reached $171.01 per barrel. Ryanair announced a reduction of two million seats across its European winter fleet to manage operating costs, though O'Leary noted the carrier holds hedges covering 80% of its fuel needs at $67 per barrel through March.

Ryanair shareholders approved a contract extension keeping O'Leary as chief executive until 2032. The agreement includes a base salary increase, a capped annual bonus, and a share option scheme. O'Leary noted that while airline fares declined following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in February, pricing stabilized in late July and turned slightly positive into early September.