Easyjet to sue Ryanair after Stelios depicted as Pinocchio

O'Leary challenges Stelios to race and sumo wrestling

15th February 2010

Easyjet has declared legal war on its bitter rival Ryanair over the Irish carrier's recent advertising campaign.

The Luton-based budget airline and its founder - and biggest shareholder - Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou want to sue Ryanair for defamation after it insinuated that the Cypriot tycoon had lied about Easyjet's punctuality statistics by depicting him as famous fibber Pinocchio in an advertising campaign.

Easyjet also says Ryanair made false claims about Easyjet by describing it as a high fares airline.

Stelios accused Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary of "despicable behaviour" and said he will seek "substantial damages".

Lawyers for Easyjet and Stelios have written letters to Ryanair branding the adverts "baseless and grossly defamatory".

They demanded that Ryanair withdraws the ads with a public apology, and payment of unspecified damages and legal costs.

But Mr O'Leary responded to the threat of legal action in bizarre fashion, challenging Stelios to a "Chariots of Fire" race around Trafalgar Square to settle the score.

O'Leary said: "I have upped my cigarette intake and beer consumption to train for the challenge."

Stelios ignored the challenge and his lawyers have commenced High Court proceedings instead, to which O'Leary responded: "If [Stelios] is too scared to run then why doesn't he accept our challenge to a bout of Sumo wrestling instead."

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