O’Leary said in Ryanair’s statement that his colleague “has been a pioneer in the development of low-fare air travel,” especially in the areas of aircraft financing, commodity risk, fuel management and information technology.
Whenever questioned on his future, the CEO once routinely said that he’d step down “soon,” and also suggested that he’d have less of a role in projecting the brand after a makeover aimed at appealing more to business travelers and families