Here is why the White House is threatening a European low-cost airline

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary sent an impassioned letter to a U.S. representative.

May 2, 2025 - 22:44

Here is why the White House is threatening a European low-cost airline

Launched in 1984 with the then-unusual model of offering rock-bottom fares between nearby cities, Dublin-based Ryanair (RYAOF) is presently the biggest airline in Europe by total passengers carried.

In 2024, it surpassed the Lufthansa Group (DLAKF) with 197.2 million passengers. Ryanair has also recently become known for its youth-forward digital marketing strategy — the airline regularly pokes fun at both difficult passengers and itself on its social media channels — and fares that reach as low as €15.

While flying primarily between European capitals and smaller cities, Ryanair also flies to certain destinations in Northern Africa, Israel, and the Asian side of Türkiye.

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Ryanair CEO says carrier would order Chinese planes 'if it was cheap enough'

On May 1, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary threatened to cancel an existing order of 330 Boeing (BA) planes in a contract totaling over $30 billion as well as stop future business with the aircraft manufacturer as a result of the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"If the U.S. government proceeds with its ill-judged plan to impose tariffs, and if these tariffs materially affect the price of Boeing aircraft exports to Europe, then we would certainly reassess both our current Boeing orders, and the possibility of placing those orders elsewhere," O'Leary wrote in a published letter to Democratic Illinois congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.

While Ryanair has a fleet of over 575 Boeing 737 Max planes (the model is the only one used by the carrier), it floated the idea of instead doing business with the Dutch-registered Airbus (EADSF) and the Chinese government-owned Comac.

The latter's single-aisle C919, which can seat up to 190 passengers, would be the closest fit to what is currently used by the airline.

"If it was cheap enough – 10% or 20% cheaper than an Airbus aircraft – then we'd order it," O'Leary said in a separate interview to the aviation and travel outlet Skift.

In a response to O'Leary's letter, Krishnamoorthi said that "U.S. and European airlines should not be even contemplating the future purchase of airplanes from Chinese military companies." The Illinois congressman is the ranking member of the Ranking Member of the Select Committee dealing with the Chinese Communist Party.

*Ryanair flies a fleet of exclusively Boeing 737 Max planes.*
Image source: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Comac contract may be unlikely but airlines are mad

After imposing 145% tariffs on exports from the country to the U.S. at the start of the month, Trump has also repeatedly threatened both U.S.-based and foreign countries that continue to do business with China.

While purchasing aircraft from a company owned by the Chinese state would be an unlikely move, as it goes against not just U.S. but also European policy, O'Leary is known for his hot-headed statements and provocative negotiating strategy.

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Even so, the ripples of Trump's escalating actions continue to extend into the aviation world — over the weekend of April 19, Chinese regional carrier Xiamen Airlines sent a Boeing 737 Max 8 it had ordered from the U.S. back to Seattle.

Another model arrived in Guam a day later, while the 22 additional aircraft that Xiamen had been waiting to have delivered will now likely never make it there.