Ryanair unveils ambitious plans to fly tourists to space by 2035

You could never accuse Ryanair of lacking ambition. The low-cost airline has long been an ultra-competitive player in the European air industry, launching flights to corners of the continent unserved by other airlines, and developing a network of routes which extends to destinations as varied as Estonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia.

But the Dublin-based carrier's latest expansion will take it beyond the Black Sea, the Balkans or the cities of the Baltic. It will take it, and its passengers, to the edge of space.

Over the weekend, Ryanair quietly released plans to join the likes of Virgin Galactic and SpaceX in the race to take paying tourists beyond the bounds of Earth's gravity.

In a press release sent to select media on Saturday morning, the company announced the creation of a development fund that will let it battle entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson and Elon Musk for a slice of what it describes as "the next great opportunity in travel".

"Space tourism is the obvious business-diversification strategy for an airline that wants to thrive in the increasingly competitive marketplace of travel in the 21st century," the statement from the company's new Head of Space Development, Eprila Murkha, starts. "Twenty years from now, tourists will not be content with a week in Spain, or a fortnight on the beach in Turkey. They will be looking further afield, maybe to Mars, but certainly as far as the moon and the outer limits of the stratosphere. Ryanair sees itself as part of this important conversation. The new future of this airline begins here."

It is understood that Ryanair will follow Virgin Galactic's lead, and will seek to build its own branded spacecraft.

It has signed a partnership agreement with pioneering German space-technology company Scherz Täuschen, and will "start work on viable designs" before the end of this year.

The airline has not been put off by the apparent limitations on passenger numbers. The Starship prototype currently being developed by SpaceX will not be able to carry more than 100 people - but Ryanair believes that a larger craft is possible via small changes to existing blueprints, and hopes to have its own rocket in the sky by as early as 2035. It also has plans to build its own spaceport in an as-yet undisclosed location, although this will probably be in Ireland, as locating the new facility there would mean the project qualified for European Union funding.

Along with help from the EU, Ryanair intends to raise funds by selling extra scratch-cards on flights in Europe. Specifically, the "Your Face In Space" scratch-card is due to be launched in time for the summer holiday season, costing £10 per ticket. Prizes will include a seat on the first Ryanair space flight - as well as cuddly toys and packets of gourmet crisps.

The idea is still at the drawing-board stage, but it is also understood that Ryanair will seek to implement its standard "no-frills" style of service on its space flights. Passengers will not be automatically issued with suitable clothing, and will be expected to supply their own space-suits - or hire one from the airline at an extra cost. 

"We really think this can happen," Ms Murkha said in a follow-up conversation with the Telegraph. "Why just fly to Bodrum with Ryanair when you could go to Venus, Mercury or the heart of the sun? And come on, easyJet haven't thought of anything anywhere near as clever. Can you imagine their orange planes heading for the moon? No, us neither."

A spokesperson for Sir Richard Branson commented that if Ryanair managed to beat Virgin Galactic to space, he would give up the whole thing as a bad idea, and sit on Necker island all day, staring wistfully at the sky. "Not gonna happen though, it is mate?", the apparatchik said, before slamming the phone down while shouting audible obscenities relating to April Fools jokes, and whether anyone reads this far down the page.