Ryanair Plans to Introduce Free Wi-Fi in 3-5 Years with Tech Advances

Ryanair's Free Wi-Fi Initiative

By Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira

Current Technology Challenges

LISBON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ryanair expects to offer free Wi-Fi across its fleet within three-to-five years as the technology improves, CEO Michael O'Leary told Reuters on Wednesday, after a public spat with Elon Musk over the use of his Starlink internet service.

Government Responsibility for Airspace Security

Musk and O'Leary have traded barbs in recent days after the airline boss ruled out installing Starlink on the carrier's 600-plus jets. 

Ryanair is "still in discussions" with Starlink, Amazon Web Services and Vodafone, but current systems require a Wi-Fi antenna on top of the aircraft, creating "a fuel drag penalty that will cost us about $200 million a year," O'Leary said.

The sticking point, he said, is that Wi-Fi providers believe Ryanair's customers "will pay for it, and we don't think they will."

O'Leary said the technology was continuously evolving and that antennas could eventually be fitted into the baggage hold or nose cone, eliminating the extra fuel cost.

"Then we'll be able to offer free Wi-Fi to our clients on all Ryanair flights ... we think that will happen in the next three-to-five years," he said in an interview.

He joked that he and Musk could keep up their banter to "generate even more free publicity".

Separately, O'Leary said that European governments - not airlines - should pay for efforts to stop drone incursions that have disrupted flights across the region.

European officials have blamed Russian hybrid warfare, a claim Moscow denies.

"Why should airlines be paying for something? Securing the skies is a government responsibility, it is a defence strategy, that is the responsibility of governments," O'Leary said.

"Europe needs to have much more defence capability because, you know, when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin respects Europe's defence capability, then you won't see any more drone incursions."

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira. Editing by Andrei Khalip and Mark Potter)