Ryanair’s CEO has claimed flight attendants could fulfil the role of co-pilot in emergencies.

The controversial airline chief of Ryanair has labelled co-pilots unnecessary and easily replaceable by flight attendants.

The outlandish statements of Michael O’Leary have been rebuked by pilots and passengers alike, who accused the budget airline’s CEO of endangering passengers’ safety.

Mr O’Leary said that a flight attendant could be trained to land the plane if the pilot ran into problems, news.com.au reported.

"Really, you only need one pilot. Let's take out the second pilot. Let the bl**dy computer fly it," he said.

"If the pilot has an emergency, he rings the bell, he calls her in, she could take over."

The suggestions have angered pilots, who maintain that such drastic measures would inevitably endanger the lives of all those onboard.

“His suggestion is unwise, unsafe and the public will be horrified," a spokesman for the British Airline Pilots’ Association said.

This isn’t the first time that the Ryanair CEO has sparked debate over his efforts to cut costs. He has previously proposed a reduction in the number of toilets onboard and to make them coin operated.

Mr O’Leary has also recently announced plans for ‘vertical seating’ on his aircraft, which will see passengers standing in designated zones for the duration of short-haul flights.