Ryanair asks Boeing to 'eat' EU tariffs

LONDON: The head of Ireland’s Ryanair on Tuesday urged the United States and European Union to pull back from a tariff war over aircraft and said he would ask Boeing to “eat” any counter-tariffs imposed on the U.S. firm by the EU.

The World Trade Organization is expected to give the green light this week to U.S. tariffs on billions of dollars of European goods including Airbus jets in a move likely to be mirrored by European tariffs on U.S. planes and goods next year.

“The U.S. can’t afford to have a trade war,” Group Chief Executive Michael O’Leary, whose company’s main airline is one of Boeing’s largest customers, told Reuters after speaking at a Reuters Newsmaker event.

“Boeing is one of its biggest manufacturers and biggest exporters, but something needs to be resolved so I think like most airlines we sit there and hope common sense will prevail at the end of the day but we don’t know how it plays out,” O’Leary said.