Ryanair group chief executive Michael O'Leary has dismissed the idea of installing the Starlink wi-fi service on the low-cost carrier's aircraft, arguing that few passengers would purchase it. During a broadcasted press conference called following a public spat with Elon Musk – the multi-billionaire owner of Starlink as well as Tesla and social-media site X – O'Leary said that "probably less than 5%" of customers would pay for the service even at a cost of €1-2. "The only way we see Starlink works is if we give it away for free," he added. Meanwhile, installation of the equipment would cost the airline around €200-250 million ($230-300 million), O'Leary estimates, citing the increased fuel drag from attaching two antennae to each aircraft fuselage. That would add around 1-2% to fuel burn, he foresees. Ryanair Group's annual fuel bill exceeds €5 billion. The airline has long been making case against wi-fi, having concluded that the cost outweighs the benefits for Ryanair services with their average stage length of 1h 15min. "I think there's a limited demand for long haul; but short haul, we see no demand. And certainly nothing we can monetise," O'Leary said in March 2025. He and Musk have repeatedly traded insults over recent days, as the X boss called for O'Leary to be fired and each labelled the other an "idiot". Musk has floated the idea of buying Ryanair and having O'Leary replaced. Ryanair responded by launching a "big idiot" flight sale with 100,000 cut-priced tickets, and O'Leary thanking Musk for a boost in visits to the airline's website and a 2-3% increase in bookings. O'Leary added that he would visit X's office in Dublin to present Musk with a free Ryanair ticket. Ownership and control rules forbid non-EU citizens from taking majority stakes in the bloc's carriers, notes O'Leary. But below that threshold, Musk is "welcome to invest", adds Ryanair's group chief.

Harbor Diversified has completed the previously announced sale of Air Wisconsin Airlines and its associated operating assets. The US Department of Transportation approved the deal on 5 January and it closed on 9 January, according to a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the sale, Harbor reported that neither the company nor its subsidiaries retain any material operating assets or infrastructure to support an airline. The company kept only a small set of non‑operational items, including lease payments tied to a single aircraft, along with certain insurance claims and tax refunds. Harbor received approximately $110 million for the transaction, subject to customary post‑closing adjustments. Gregg Garvey – formerly chief financial officer and treasurer of Air Wisconsin – has been appointed executive vice-president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Harbor Diversified, continuing as the company’s principal financial and accounting officer. Christine Deister remains chief executive and secretary, while Chad Schimmelpfenning has moved into the role of executive vice-president and chief legal counsel. Robert Binns, who served as president and chief executive of Air Wisconsin, ended his employment with the organisation on 9 January and is not expected to continue with Harbor or its subsidiaries. The board approved cash transaction bonuses for Binns, Garvey and Schimmelpfenning on 8 January, tied to the closing of the sale.

Qantas has secured three Embraer 190-E1s that will start to replace its remaining Fokker 100 jets that are used on regional QantasLink-branded services in Western Australia. The Oneworld carrier says that the mid-life E190s will start arriving by the end of the year, as part of previously announced plans to acquire up to 14 of the type to replace the same number of F100s operated by its Network Aviation subsidiary, primarily on mining charter flights. Cirium fleets data shows that the unit also operates 19 Airbus A320ceos and nine A319s, which Qantas says will be fitted with in-flight wi-fi and new seats featuring USB charging ports and portable device holders. "The fleet upgrades complement the Qantas Group’s broader fleet renewal program, which includes firm orders for more than 200 new aircraft and cabin refurbishments of Qantas’ Boeing 737 and A330 aircraft, which will include new business and economy seats and larger overhead lockers," it adds. In addition to the E190s that will join the Network Aviation fleet, Qantas wet-leases 34 more of the type from Alliance Airlines which are used on east coast routes. Key rival in the Western Australia resource charter market Virgin Australia Regional Airlines has begun paring down its own Fokker jet fleet as it replaces them with new E190-E2s. It currently has two in service and six more on order.