Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has finally offered an apology for comparing competitor airlines to "rapists", acknowledging that his remarks caused "considerable upset and offence".
The billionaire boss faced strong criticism from politicians across Ireland and the UK, as well as sexual violence support groups, after initially insisting the comparison was "absolutely" appropriate.
Having faced mounting calls to retract the comments, O’Leary posted a video message explaining that discussions with friends and family caused him to recognise the harm his language had inflicted.
Addressing survivors of rape and sexual assault in particular, he apologised "sincerely and unreservedly".
In the video broadcast by Virgin Media News on Friday, he said: "Last week at a press conference in Dublin, I used the term rapists to described the high fares of our competitor airlines. I was quizzed by the press if I was trivialising rape.
"I replied by asserting my firm belief that rape is a heinous and terrible crime which cannot be trivialised. I believe I couldn’t have been clearer in this regard.
"In conversations with family and friends, both inside and outside Ryanair, over the last 10 days, I have come to realise, however, that the word I used so carelessly has caused considerable upset and offence to a wide number of people, especially victims and survivors.
"I want to apologise, sincerely and unreservedly to those people, especially to the survivors. I am truly sorry for the offence and upset I have caused you by my careless use of those words. It won’t happen again.
"I will try to learn from this mistake and do better in the future. Thank you."
O’Leary had initially resisted calls to apologise, including from Rachel Morrogh, chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), who stated that his language trivialised sexual violence.
The controversial remarks were made ahead of Ryanair’s annual general meeting in Dublin last Thursday, as he predicted passengers would switch to his airline to avoid rising fares elsewhere.
Speaking at company headquarters, he told reporters: "You might find some people will choose not to fly with Ryanair – but you know they’ll be overrun with the people abandoning Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, BA, and others desperate to get to Ryanair’s low fares because they can’t afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe."
When pressed by the Press Association on whether the term was appropriate, Mr O’Leary answered: "Absolutely."
While describing rape as a "terrible crime", he rejected claims that his wording minimised the issue.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin was among the public figures to criticise the remarks, though he stopped short of demanding a public apology.
Chief executive of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Rachel Morrogh said: “Dublin Rape Crisis Centre welcomes Mr O’Leary’s apology and recognition that his comments caused concern and hurt to people who have been raped as well as to their families and friends.
“We hope Mr O’Leary’s apology helps promote a greater public understanding of the impact language can have and the harm that trivialising sexual violence can do.
“Words matter and positive leadership really matters as well, so we view Mr O’Leary’s apology as being very important. We remain committed to and focused on ensuring that the experiences of victims and survivors are treated with the seriousness, dignity and respect they deserve.”
Anyone affected by sexual violence of any form can get free and confidential support on the 24-hour National Helpline at 1800 77 88 88.
