Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary was hit in the face with pies by climate activists in Brussels on Thursday.
O'Leary was delivering a petition to the European Commission asking for “overflights” to be protected during air traffic control strikes when he was pied. The online petition has over 1.8 million signatures.
"So far in 2023, French ATC (Air Traffic Control) strikes have forced Ryanair to cancel over 4000 flights mainly overflying France," the petition states. "It is unacceptable that France uses Min Service Legislation to protect French flights during these repeated ATC strikes, while overflights, none of which are operating to/from France, suffer all these cancellations. This is unfair. The EU must act now to protect overflights and the EU Single Market."
As O'Leary was outside the building, two climate activists aggressively pied him in the face while shouting, “Welcome in Belgium. Stop the pollution of the f-cking planes.”
The incident was captured on video. CEO OF THE WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST AIRLINE RYANAIR WAS CREAMPIED YESTERDAY BY CLIMATE ACTIVISTS DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE $RYAAY pic.twitter.com/H1YyDtm7V3 Ryanair's CEO was pied in the face yesterday by climate activists
— GURGAVIN (@gurgavin) September 8, 2023
Visiting Brussels to lobby EU officials over protecting flights amid air-traffic controller strikes in France, we'd say he handled the episode better than most pic.twitter.com/1JPvUNFG8Y
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) September 8, 2023 Eco-activists threw a cake in the face of Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary
O'Leary went on a solitary picket in Brussels: he spoke out against the constant strikes of air traffic controllers in the EU.
"I love cream cakes. They are my favorite," O'Leary commented and continued to… pic.twitter.com/aWnu1w3AFz
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 8, 2023
“We’re here to discuss the petition. I love cream cakes. They’re my favorite,” O'Leary said after being pied — before continuing to discuss the subject of the petition.
O'Leary then licked some of the pie filling off his hand and said, “It’s delicious cake.” Warm welcome in Brussels today to celebrate RYR’s 7 new routes for Winter 23. Passengers so happy with our routes and petition that they’re celebrating with cake. We’ve got tasty low fares! pic.twitter.com/MpT6ssSX6a
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) September 7, 2023
RyanAir also commented on the stunt, posting to X, “Warm welcome in Brussels today to celebrate RYR’s 7 new routes for Winter 23. Passengers so happy with our routes and petition that they’re celebrating with cake. We’ve got tasty low fares!" 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 airline also posted, "Instead of buying cream pies, could have bought a flight from Belgium for the same price."
