Aviation

Irish flights ‘most environmentally penalised in Europe’, Ryanair’s O’Leary claims

Michael O’Leary to publicly rebuke Transport Minister Eamon Ryan for calling for further levies on aviation at a cross-party meeting today

Michael O’Leary said that at COP 27, the government had “repeatedly failed to call on other EU citizens (and flights) to pay their fair share of environmental taxes, even when Irish passengers are so unfairly penalised”. Picture: Getty

Eamon Ryan is set to receive a public rebuke from Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s group chief executive, at a cross-party meeting of politicians tomorrow.

O’Leary will tell the Oireachtas transport committee that an aviation levy called for by the Minister for Transport “will further damage connectivity and air travel” to and from Ireland.

In a letter to the committee in advance of a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, O’Leary said that short-haul flights to and from Ireland ...