Published on Wednesday, May 14, 2003



Problems for Ryanair airport stunt

UK: Staff at Luton stop Michael O’Leary driving tank into airport



A Ryanair publicity stunt went badly wrong yesterday when airline staff dressed in combat gear were thrown out of Luton airport.



According to a report in The Guardian, the carrier’s boss Michael O’Leary was intending to carry out the mock military operation targeted at its rival EasyJet, which included driving a tank into the airport. However, extra security measures at Luton, introduced following Monday’s terror attacks in Saudi Arabia, meant the stunt was scuppered. What is more, vehicles that “appear to be armed” are banned from airports under the Aviation Security Act.



A spokesman for the airport reportedly told the newspaper: “Our airport duty manager very vigilantly saw this vehicle. We informed them that it wouldn’t be wise to move it.” An eyewitness to the events added that O’Leary was “absolutely furious, effing and blinding”.



Ryanair, for its part, claimed it had informed police of its intentions, reportedly telling The Guardian: “It was a fully branded tank. It had the name of the airline on the front, back and sides. It wasn’t a risk to anybody.” The stunt may have failed, and many may question how tasteful it was, but the airline was handsomely rewarded with a decent write-up and a large photo in The Guardian’s business pages …

