EU airline ‘happy’ to deport illegal migrants – Politico

The low-cost carrier Ryanair is ready to help European governments deport illegal migrants, CEO Michael O’Leary told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by Politico.

O’Leary was speaking at a press conference near Brussels Airport, the outlet said, where he was launching a campaign to promote turnout in the upcoming European Parliament election.

“We have no issue in principle” with the idea, O’Leary said. “If European governments are legally deporting illegal arrivals, and we can provide help,” Politico quoted the Ryanair CEO as saying.

O’Leary reportedly dismissed concerns voiced by a reporter that having a connection with deportations could damage the airline’s reputation. “If European governments are properly deporting illegal arrivals … to a country like Albania … We are happy to fly those flights,” he said.

Migration is a controversial issue in Ireland, which has seen a massive influx of asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine. In the year to April 2023, immigration to the country jumped 31% compared to the previous 12 months, contributing to the EU’s worst housing shortage and rising crime.

Ireland’s neighbor, the UK, has been tightening its rules for migration, which soared to a record high in 2022. Many asylum seekers now use Northern Ireland to enter Ireland from the UK after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans recently to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, Politico said. Parts of the Irish capital, Dublin are being turned into refugee camps, the outlet reported earlier this month.

Speaking about Sunak’s plans last month, O’Leary reportedly said he would be happy to run deportation flights to the Central African nation if the company had suitable aircraft. On Tuesday, he stated that Ryanair “cannot go to Rwanda because we cannot fly that far.” The airline’s only destination in Africa is Morocco. The airline can, however, fly to countries such as Albania, he added.

The UK government has a deal with the Balkan state to send illegal migrants from Albania back home. In February, Tirana agreed to hold thousands of asylum seekers for Italy.

Ryanair is Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers. It is known for its no-frills approach to air travel and outlandish cost-saving methods. Among them are encouraging flight attendants to lose weight, removing toilets from planes and replacing them with extra seats, having passengers load their own luggage, and charging overweight passengers a “fat tax.”