O’Leary: I won’t be voting for scumbags FF

FIANNA Fáil are “scumbags” according to Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary and there’s no way he’ll be voting for them.

The outspoken airline chief said he’s not saying who he’s planning to vote for on Friday but said: “I can tell you who I won’t be voting for and that’s those scumbags Fianna Fáil, who have been in power for the last 14 years,” he said.

Despite his issues with the Government and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) Mr O’Leary has no plans to move Ryanair’s headquarters out of Ireland, saying he likes living here.

The airline chief sparked concern this week that Ryanair could relocate out of Dublin when he said Ryanair is no longer an Irish airline and more a European one.

“I like living in Ireland, so unless the corporation tax rate changes then we’ll be here,” he said.

Fine Gael in Government might be welcomed by Mr O’Leary given that they said they wanted to “work with the aviation regulator to cut airport charges in order to deliver increased routes, airlines and passenger numbers.”

They are also planning to scrap the travel tax and negotiate with Ryanair and Aer Lingus “to re-open closed routes and bring more tourists into Ireland”.

It is also planning to draw up plans to allow Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports to operate independently, something Mr O’Leary has long been calling for.

“The new Government will have to scrap the travel tax and break-up the DAA airport monopoly,” said Mr O’Leary, adding the airline would be going to the new Government to state its case once it is in power.

Ryanair was involved in a row with the DAA this week concerning incentives and discounts being offered to the airline by the airport operator.