Environmental activists “assaulted” the head of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, in Brussels on Thursday. “Welcome to Belgium,” one activist shouted as she pushed her cake into the face of the company boss, as seen on videos. ‘Stop the pollution’, the other activist shouted as she treated the 62-year-old entrepreneur to a creamy pastry.
During the pie attack in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, O’Leary stood next to a cardboard figure depicting Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He was about to organize a one-man protest against the numerous strikes by air traffic controllers across the EU affecting Ryanair’s operations.
“Celebrate with Cake”
He laughed at the cake attack, wiped the whipped cream off his face and then asked an employee to have his suit cleaned. He later published a photo of himself in a smeared state on the online service X (formerly Twitter) and the following text: “Passengers are so pleased” with the new Ryanair connections “they are celebrating with cake”.
O’Leary’s company is regularly criticized by unions for its personnel policies and the working conditions of its pilots. The pilots of the Belgian low-cost carrier have announced a new strike for 14 and 15 September. They demand better pay and longer rest periods between flights. It is their fourth strike in two months.
Wanderlust makes Ryanair happy
The growing desire to travel makes O’Leary basically optimistic. The manager of the price fighter announced on Thursday that he was very satisfied with the bookings for September and October. He also believes a recovery in Asian business will help European ticket prices remain high next summer.
O’Leary added that the airline is also seeing a “very sharp increase” in non-recreational travel in low-wage regions of central, eastern and southern Europe, which he attributes to stronger supply chains. However, he is concerned about the level of oil prices, but cannot say how this will affect the earnings outlook.
Source: Krone
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