Ryanair CEO’s Receipt of Climate Activists’ Pie Attack Turns Against Them

Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, a budget-friendly Irish airline, found himself on the receiving end of an unconventional protest.

Two climate activists, in a misguided attempt to voice their concerns about air pollution, attacked O’Leary with pies to his face and head while he was in Brussels.

The incident occurred as O’Leary was outside the European Commission’s headquarters, delivering a petition concerning the airspace above France.

The petition was in response to the strikes launched by French air traffic controllers that year. Ryanair had appealed to the EU Commission to safeguard EU passengers and overflights during these strikes, ensuring uninterrupted passage through the airspace.

Instead of buying cream pies, could have bought a flight from Belgium for the same price 😏 pic.twitter.com/8jruYI3ZxE

— Ryanair (@Ryanair) September 7, 2023

The petition had already gained significant traction, with 1.5 million signatures according to a social media post from Ryanair. However, the airline’s website claimed an even higher number, pegging it at 1.8 million.

O’Leary had hoped to personally hand over the petition to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen while in Brussels.

The pie attack, far from deterring O’Leary, seemed to amuse him. The Irish Independent reported that he quipped, “I love cream cakes, they’re my favorite” after the incident. This light-hearted response to the unexpected assault demonstrated his resilience and commitment to his cause.

The protestors’ message, however, was lost in the spectacle. One of them reportedly yelled, “Welcome to Belgium. Stop the pollution of the f—ing planes,” at O’Leary. Though their actions did little to further their cause and instead drew attention to Ryanair’s plight.

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary was hit with a pie by environmental activists during a press conference in Brussels.

The activists can be heard shouting “stop the pollution” before throwing the cake at O’Learyhttps://t.co/AYlfWbXGlu pic.twitter.com/s5s4DnU2O6

— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 7, 2023

Ryanair, in fact, used the incident to its advantage. The company cleverly turned the situation around, using it as a marketing opportunity to promote their low fares.

They posted on Twitter, “Instead of buying cream pies, could have bought a flight from Belgium for the same price.”

The incident also highlighted the significant impact of the French air traffic controllers’ strikes on Ryanair’s operations.

The airline attributed more than 4,000 of its flight cancellations in 2023 to these strikes, underscoring the urgency and importance of the petition O’Leary was delivering.

While the pie-throwing climate activists may have intended to disrupt and embarrass O’Leary, their actions inadvertently gave him and his cause more visibility.

This article appeared in Our Patriot and has been published here with permission.