Flights to the US for less than £10 will be offered by Ryanair when the budget carrier eventually buys the long-haul aircraft required, says Michael O’Leary.
The carrier’s chief executive told the Irish Hotels Federation conference in Meath that he would offer tickets to New York and Boston for €10 (£8.20). Flights back to Europe would cost €7.30.
But passengers would pay extra for everything from meals to baggage, he admitted.
The flights would leave from up to 14 major European cities to 12-14 destinations in the US.
“We can make money on 99 cent fares in Europe,” O’Leary said. “Not every seat will be €10 of course; there will also need to be a very high number of business or premium seats.”
The flights would begin within six months of Ryanair buying the long-haul aircraft needed. However, these purchases could take up to five years, The Telegraph reported.
O’Leary said last year that “there is 15% of the public who will pay for the frills and you will be mad to switch off from that”.
He has previously said that Ryanair would need “a fleet of 30, 40, 50 aircraft and not two, four or six” to start flights to the US.