Michael O'Leary (63), the mastermind behind budget airline Ryanair, recently made an unusual proposal. He offered to use his fleet to deport asylum seekers.
O'Leary's offer came in the wake of a controversial decision taken by the British Parliament. A plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was approved, a plan that was not without criticism.
However, the Ryanair boss was willing to offer support and told Bloomberg: “If the winter schedule and the government were looking for additional repatriation flights, we would be happy to make an offer.”
It appears that this new law now aims to circumvent this ruling. According to NTV reports, this should be possible, among other things, by classifying Rwanda as a safe third country.
According to Focus, reactions to O'Leary's show have been mixed. Some commentators are praising the businessman for his initiative. They suggest that other airlines such as Lufthansa, Condor and Eurowings offer similar offers. Others see O'Leary as more of a businessman, as the costs of the flights are “paid for with billions of taxpayers' money.”
Although Ryanair's offer is controversial, it seems clear: the debate over deporting asylum seekers is far from over.
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