{
  "id": 8277759,
  "title": "Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary apologises over 'high-fare rapists' remarks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ryanair-boss-michael-oleary-apologises-over-high-fare-rapists-remarks-8277759",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-18T17:10:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC News",
    "slug": "bbc-news",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm1j4kj57k08o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary has expressed sincere regret for his previous comments describing rival airlines as \"high-fare rapists.\" The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre had previously written to O'Leary, requesting an apology following his remarks. O'Leary had originally stated that some people were eager to fly with Ryanair's low fares because they couldn't afford the high fares charged by competitors. He defended his choice of words, claiming he would happily offend such airlines on a regular basis. When asked if the language was appropriate, O'Leary acknowledged rape as a \"terrible crime.\" In a video posted recently, O'Leary admitted that his careless use of the term had caused significant distress, especially to survivors of sexual assault. He apologized unreservedly to those victims and survivors, promising not to repeat the mistake and learn from the experience.",
  "summary": "O'Leary described his choice of language as \"careless\" and said \"it won't happen again\".",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "O'Leary apologises 'unreservedly' over 'rapist' comments",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/oleary-apologises-unreservedly-over-rapist-comments",
        "published": "2026-09-18T15:41:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Business",
        "title": "Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary apologises over 'high-fare rapists' remarks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/ryanair-boss-michael-oleary-apologises-over-high-fare-rapists-remarks",
        "published": "2026-09-18T17:10:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}