Ryanair expects free internet access on its flights to become standard within the next four or five years, chief executive Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Lisbon, O'Leary said technological progress would soon make onboard wifi cheap enough to offer at no cost to passengers.
"I do not doubt that within four or five years, WiFi will be available on all aircraft as the technology improves and costs fall to almost nothing," he said.
He also addressed a recent public dispute with Elon Musk, after Ryanair ruled out using Starlink to connect its aircraft. O'Leary had previously said the system could cost the airline up to $250m a year.
O'Leary insisted Ryanair had no issue with Starlink's technology, calling it "a very good system", but said current solutions still rely on external antennas that increase fuel costs.
He added that Ryanair has been in talks with several providers, including Starlink, Amazon Web Services and Vodafone.
"The only disagreement with Starlink is that they think people will pay for the service. We don't," O'Leary said, arguing that free onboard internet will eventually become unavoidable once the technology is ready.
