During his ongoing campaign to get the EU to act on air traffic control strikes, Ryanair Group CEO, Michael O’Leary, found himself the object of a climate activist campaign when he was cream-pied by climate activists.
While setting up outside the European Commission in Brussels for a press conference next to a cardboard cutout of EC President, Ursula von der Leyen, O’Leary was approached by two women as he reached into a cardboard box for a Ryanair petition signed by 1,5 million people, which he planned to hand to Von der Leyen.
The women then cream-pied him and shouted, "Stop the pollution of the ******* planes" as they left, reported simpleflying.com.
O’Leary responded humorously and joked about receiving a warm welcome from Brussels.
When pressed by the media about the incident, O’Leary spoke instead about the ongoing air traffic control issue. He urged Von der Leyen to take action to protect EU citizens’ freedom of movement during the ongoing air traffic control strikes.
“In 2023, there have been a staggering 63 days of air traffic control strikes, a twelvefold increase compared with the previous year. These strikes have forced EU airlines to cancel thousands of EU overflights, affecting travellers from Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK, and Ireland,” said O’Leary.
