Ryanair CEO calls for 'aggressive' post-war discounts from Ukraine airports

DUBLIN (Reuters) -Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary on Monday called on Ukraine's airports to offer "aggressive discounts" on post-war airport charges, saying he might otherwise cut back on ambitious growth plans for the country.

Ryanair could potentially fly 5 million passengers on flights to and from Ukraine in the first year following a peace deal and 10 million in the second, O'Leary said, echoing earlier comments.

But without the kind of heavy discounts on airport charges that Ryanair typically agrees with European airports, Ryanair might scale that down to 1 million in the first year and 3 million in the second, he said.

"We have been disappointed ... at the response of the Ukraine airports, who have basically refused to engage with us" about post war growth, O'Leary told analysts following the publication of the airline's annual financial results.

He added that the directors of the country's airports needed to "do a deal with us quickly if they want real radical growth and real radical economic rebuilding and development in Ukraine".

"Egregious profit making by empty airports is not the way forward," he said.

Ryanair could fly to up to 30 European destinations from Ukrainian airports including Kyiv and Lviv after the war, O'Leary said. Flights from Odesa would depend on the integrity of that airport's runway, he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday about peace in Ukraine. European leaders have demanded that the Kremlin accept an immediate ceasefire to halt the region's deadliest conflict since World War Two.

(Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)