Michael O'Leary is considered a pioneer in the aviation industry. O'Leary, who is the chief executive of Ryanair, brought to Europe the low-budget airline model, originally used by Southwest Airlines in the US.
O'Leary made Ryanair a household name in Europe. In the past two decades, Ryanair has risen to being Europe's largest airline group, operating a total of 450 aircraft. O'Leary, an accountant, has been lauded for his penchant for cost cutting and use of alternate means of revenue generation such as in-flight shopping, car hire and hotel bookings, which have since been adopted by low-cost carriers around the globe.
However, O'Leary has also attracted criticism given his tendency to shoot his mouth off. And he appears to have done just that in an interview to The Times, a major UK newspaper.
Speaking to The Times about the state of airport security, O'Leary asked. “Who are the bombers? They are going to be single males travelling on their own... You can’t say stuff, because it’s racism, but it will generally be males of a Muslim persuasion. Thirty years ago, it was the Irish. If that is where the threat is coming from, deal with the threat."
O'Leary argued that most airport security measures were "completely irrelevant" and called for further checks on Muslim men at airports as "that is where the threat is coming from".
O'Leary also argued for relaxation of checks on families. "If you are travelling with a family of kids, on you go; the chances you are going to blow them all up is zero," the Ryanair chief said.
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Not surprisingly, O'Leary's comments have triggered outrage. UK MP Khalid Mahmood, a member of the Labour party, alleged the Ryanair chief was “encouraging racism”. Mahmood was quoted by The Mirror as saying, "He's effectively saying 'everyone is game'—if they look like a Muslim then they must be a terrorist. It doesn’t improve community relations; it gives succour to people of a fascist mindset..."
O'Leary has previously made provocative remarks. O'Leary once said the "best thing you can do with environmentalists is shoot them".
In 2013, O'Leary tweeted to a Twitter user, "Call me genius, Jesus, Superman, or odious little s**t, whatever takes your fancy as long as you fly Ryanair!"
