Dhaka, Jan. 20 -- Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary and SpaceX founder Elon Musk have engaged in a public war of words after the Irish low-cost carrier rejected installing Starlink's Wi-Fi connectivity across its fleet, citing concerns over fuel efficiency and operating costs.

O'Leary said Ryanair would not adopt Starlink because fitting the required antenna and radome would incur a "two percent fuel penalty" due to added weight and aerodynamic drag. The airline operates one of Europe's largest Boeing 737 fleets and is known for its aggressive cost control and ancillary revenue-driven business model.

Starlink rejected O'Leary's claims. Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink Engineering, said the two percent figure relates to older-genera...