in 1986 he became the head of london european routes , a firm in which ryanair had bought an 85 % stake . this position , however , quickly disappeared as the carrier became ryanair uk and was then absorbed partly with klm . over the past decade , cathal working both on the general councils of the airline and as a pilot , until he resigned from the job by 1996 . he remained with ryanair until leaving the board 2002 , by which time he was a tri - millionaire related to the success of the airline .
Ryan was Cathal's father.