Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary is on the brink of unlocking a €100 million share bonus, thanks to the airline’s surging stock price and record profits.

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Shares in the low-cost carrier rose 2.8% on Monday morning to €23.04, continuing a strong recovery from a 12-month low of €13.41 last July. If the share price stays above €21 for 28 consecutive days, O’Leary will qualify for a lucrative bonus tied to his current five-year contract.

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The bonus also kicks in if Ryanair posts an annual profit of €2.2 billion before 2028 — a target that the airline came close to hitting in its latest full-year results. The current streak of share prices above the threshold began on May 2, putting O’Leary well on track to qualify.

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Already one of Europe’s highest-profile aviation bosses, O’Leary owns a €950 million stake in the company and earns a €1.2 million annual salary. But the bonus clause, agreed when his current deal was signed in 2019, would push his total earnings significantly higher — and could make him one of Ireland’s richest executives.

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O’Leary, who joined Ryanair in 1988 and took over as CEO in 1994, has repeatedly emphasised the value he brings to shareholders. “In an era when premiership footballers and managers are getting paid £20m and £25m a year, I think Ryanair shareholders are getting particular value out of our share options — both mine and the rest of the management team’s,” he said on Monday.

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Now 63, O’Leary also signalled he may remain in the job past his current contract’s end date in 2028, when he turns 67. “There’ll have to be some discussion with the board as to how my remuneration will be fixed from 2028 onwards, if they want me to stay on,” he said.

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With Ryanair reporting record passenger numbers and strong earnings despite industry headwinds, O’Leary’s next few years — and his bonus payout — are looking increasingly secure.

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