Fri, 30 May 2025

Fri, 30 May 2025 Ryanair boss on target for bonus worth more than €100m

Michael O’Leary is set to earn a bonus worth more than €100m (£84m) after clearing a key performance target.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is set to receive a bonus worth over €100 million, one of the largest payouts in European corporate history. This comes after Ryanair's shares closed above €21 for 28 consecutive days, meeting a key performance target. O'Leary will be eligible for 10 million shares worth around €111.2 million if he stays with the airline until July 2028. He has been with Ryanair since 1988 and has led the company's growth into Europe's largest low-cost carrier. The bonus is part of a long-term incentive scheme set up in 2019, which ties O'Leary's pay to the company's performance. If he stays until July 2028, the shares will vest and he'll receive the payout. However, some critics have questioned the size of the bonus, arguing that no individual contribution can be worth €100 million. The High Pay Centre, a think tank that tracks executive pay, has criticized the deal, saying it's unfair to reward O'Leary with such a large sum when most employees will not earn as much in their lifetime. Ryanair's share price needs to stay above €21 until July 2028 for O'Leary to receive the bonus. The company has said that the second condition for the payout is that O'Leary and other management team members must remain employed by Ryanair until July 2028. O'Leary has indicated that he may stay on longer with the airline, but his current contract expires in 2028. His comments come amid criticism of executive pay packages in Europe.
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