MICHAEL O’Leary, the outspoken CEO of Ryanair, is setting his sights on the future for the airline—while also beginning to map out the path for his eventual succession.
Now 64, O’Leary has no plans to leave in 2028 when his current contract ends, but he acknowledges that the final decision lies with Ryanair’s board and shareholders.
“I have no desire to leave in 2028,” he said to the Irish Independent.
O’Leary’s target is to lead Ryanair to 300 million passengers annually by 2034, a goal tied closely to securing a major aircraft order from Boeing, Airbus, or possibly Chinese manufacturer Comac.
Achieving that, he predicts, could see the airline delivering profits of €3–4 billion a year.
While he remains committed to leading Ryanair toward that goal, succession planning is already well underway.
He has name-checked four young leaders—all in their 30s and 40s—who he believes are well-placed to take over: Neil McMahon (operations), Jason McGuinness (commercial), Dara Brady (sales and marketing), and Tracey McCann (CFO of Ryanair DAC).
These individuals, he said, are already driving much of the airline’s day-to-day performance.
O’Leary dismissed the idea of recruiting an external candidate from other major airlines, saying Ryanair’s internal talent pool is far better suited to its unique business model.
“You can’t exactly go to another airline like Aer Lingus, BA or Lufthansa — all of whom are much smaller than us — to find the next CEO of Ryanair.”
He emphasised that any future CEO should compete for the role but acknowledged that internal candidates would hold an advantage.
Ryanair’s next generation of leadership, with an average age around 40, is already being groomed for the top roles, he said, underlining that the board annually reviews succession plans in case of any unexpected changes.
Outside of airline matters, O’Leary remained as combative as ever.
He ruled out a run for the Irish presidency, calling it an “overpaid non-job,” and voiced frustration with the Irish government over airport passenger caps, housing, and transport policy.
“We’re hampered by inexplicable government incompetence,” he said, pointing to stalled expansion plans at Dublin Airport and what he sees as political dithering.
He also weighed in on the Airbnb debate, calling for aggressive taxation to free up local housing in tourist-heavy cities, noting, “You can’t service the visitors unless local people can afford accommodation.”
After nearly four decades at the helm, O’Leary insists he still gets a “kick” out of running the airline—albeit a different kind than when Ryanair was flying just a million passengers a year.
Today, it flies over 660,000 daily. “I’d like to see us grow to over a million passengers a day,” he said, and with his plans firmly in place, he just might stick around long enough to make it happen.