People point out irony as Eamon Ryan greets Chinese Premier off world's biggest plane

Chinese Premier Li Qiang touched down in Ireland this Tuesday evening on the largest passenger plane to ever land in Dublin Airport in history. 

The Chinese politician was greeted by Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, which has caused quite the stir online, as hundreds of people flocked to the comments to label the Minister 'hypocritical'.

The moment Chinese Premier Li Qiang stepped off the plane at Dublin Airport to be welcomed by Minister @EamonRyan. pic.twitter.com/oZszg5OItf

— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) January 16, 2024

The Chinese Premier is in the country for a two-day State visit, which he is meeting the President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar over the course of his stay. 

The decision to send Minister Ryan to meet Premier Li as he disembarked the giant Boeing 747-8 on Tuesday evening raised eyebrows across the country, with people sharing their thoughts online: “The irony of Ryan greeting him”, with another simply saying “The irony!”.

Another social media user took to X (formerly Twitter), saying: “Did the Minister cycle to meet him [Premier Li] to offset the carbon footprint?”, with another asking: "Are you going to pull him on Chinas massive carbon output?".

The so-called 'irony' relates to the fact that Minister Ryan is the leader of the Green Party, which advocates for renewable energy use and improving climate change. The largest commercial aircraft making a historic landing in one of Ireland's busiest airports, holding very little passengers, would therefore generally go against Green Party beliefs. 

The fuel usage of the aircraft used by Premier Li is approximately 14,400 liters per hour. The amount of fuel that a Boeing 747-8 burns depends on a number of factors, including the weight of the aircraft, the speed of the aircraft, and the altitude of the aircraft.

"A very special moment as Air China flight CCA001 arrives at Dublin Airport - the largest passenger aircraft to land here in our 84 year history," Dublin Airport shared on X. 

President Higgins is meeting the Premier alongside his wife Sabina in Áras an Uachtaráin, in Phoenix Park this Wednesday morning. Taoiseach Varadkar is expected to host Premier Li during a working lunch at Farmleigh House later in the afternoon.