in 1986 he became the proprietor of british european airways , a company in which ryanair had bought an 85 % stakes . this position , however , then disappeared as the carrier became ryanair uk and was then merged entirely with ryanair . over the next decade , connacht worked both on the executive board of the airline and as a passenger , although he left from the latter by 1996 . he remained with ryanair until leaving the following 2002 , by which time he was a multi - millionaire due to the success of the airline .
Ryan was Cathal's father.