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Ryanair in talks with Starlink, Amazon, Vodafone ( VOD ) for Wi-Fi

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Current Wi-Fi systems cause costly fuel drag, O'Leary says

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O'Leary urges European governments to fund drone

countermeasures

By Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira

LISBON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Ryanair expects to

offer free Wi-Fi across its ‌fleet within three-to-five years as

the technology improves, CEO Michael O'Leary told Reuters on

Wednesday, after ​a public spat with Elon Musk over the use of

his ‍Starlink internet service.

Musk and O'Leary have traded barbs ⁠in recent days ⁠after the

airline boss ruled out installing Starlink on the carrier's

600-plus jets.

Ryanair is "still in discussions" ‌with Starlink, Amazon Web

Services and Vodafone ( VOD ), ​but current systems require a Wi-Fi

antenna on top of the aircraft, creating "a fuel drag penalty

that will cost us ⁠about $200 million a year," O'Leary ‍said.

The sticking ​point, he said, is that Wi-Fi providers believe

Ryanair's customers "will pay for it, and we don't think they

will."

O'Leary said the technology ‍was continuously evolving and

that antennas could eventually be fitted into the baggage hold

or nose cone, eliminating the extra fuel cost.

"Then we'll be able to offer free Wi-Fi to our clients on

all Ryanair flights ... we think that will happen in the next

three-to-five years," he ​said ‍in an interview.

He joked that he and Musk could keep up their banter to

"generate even more free publicity".

Separately, O'Leary ​said that European governments - not

airlines - should pay for efforts to stop drone incursions that

have disrupted flights across the region.

European officials have blamed Russian hybrid warfare, a

claim Moscow denies.

"Why should airlines be paying for something? Securing the

skies is a government responsibility, it is a defence strategy,

that is the responsibility ​of governments," O'Leary said.

"Europe needs to have much more defence capability because,

you know, when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin respects

Europe's defence capability, then you won't see any more drone

incursions."