Ryanair will be the world's most searched airline website by the end of this year, according to its chief executive.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was speaking at the Deloitte Enterprise Ireland CEO Forum today at Dublin Castle.
"This country's real engine of growth is small Irish companies. For success we have to be big in Europe and then in the world," he said.
He said Ryanair will double in size in the next ten years and is already the world's biggest international airline with 71 bases, 183 airports, 1,600 routes and 2,000 flights a day.
Mr O'Leary also said the airline has a plan for a low-cost transatlantic operation, from 15 European cities to about 12 US cities, but it said it would need a fleet of up to 40 long-haul aircraft to do so.
"We think we could do $10 fares but we can't source the aircraft for three or four years," he said.
Speaking about Ireland's competitiveness and taxation, Michael O'Leary said: "It's very hard to hire bright young people and tell them they are going to be paying the top rate of tax at €30,000."
