Berlin — A budget airline boss was "only joking" when he suggested charging passengers to use the toilet, an airline spokesman told a German paper on Thursday.

Ryanair passengers were shocked last month when Michael O’Leary threatened to "put a coin-slot on the toilet doors so that people might have to actually spend a pound to spend a penny."

Ryanair spokesman for Germany, Anja Seugling, told the Ostthueringer Zeitung daily, "it was all just a gag," adding that O’Leary was probably just thinking out loud.

O’Leary, who is one of Ireland’s wealthiest businessmen, has a reputation as a ruthless cost cutter, expanding Ryanair by offering low basic fares and charging extra for items like hold luggage.

AFP/Expatica