Michael O’Leary, boss of budget airline Ryanair, wants passengers to stand on flights in an effort to boost capacity and profits.

O’Leary reckons that he could pack more passengers onto his flights by getting them to group next to bar stools with seat belts around their waists.

The controversial boss got the idea from Chinese airline, Spring, which has also put forward the same proposal, and he has already held talks with US plane manufacturer Boeing about designing an aircraft incorporating standing room.

It is estimated that O’Leary could increase capacity by 50% whilst cutting cost by around 20% and is not the first time he has caused controversy in his bid to save his company money whist boosting profits.

Earlier this year O’Leary announced plans to charge passengers £1 to spend a penny on his flights and also considered cutting toilet cubicles form three to just one in an effort to squash more seats in.

O’Leary also outraged customers by announcing he would start charging a ‘fat tax’ for overweight passengers, defending his actions by stating it would be an incentive for them to lose weight.

Regarding the new standing room idea, a spokesperson for Ryanair stated “If they approve it, we’ll be doing it.”

Aviation experts dismissed the proposal as “utter madness.”