Michael O’Leary said the British government did not “have a clue what they were doing” when it came to negotiating a post-Brexit aviation agreement with the EU and as a result, could leave the UK vulnerable to having flights grounded come March 2019 if no legislation is in place.

The chief executive of the low-cost carrier told Irish radio station Newstalk he believed EU politicians "are looking around and saying: ‘how do we teach the British a lesson?’"

O’Leary suggested that affecting air travel could be a way for the EU to show the British public the dangers of leaving the single market.

“Maybe cutting off flights for three months after March 2019, they will begin to understand what is going on,” he said, adding: “explaining passporting of financial services doesn’t appeal to the guy in Hull or Grimsby”.

He added: “That there will not be flights to and from the UK for a couple of months or a couple of weeks after March 2019 is one of the ways that you demonstrate to Joe Public that this is what is happening.”

As a result, the Ryanair chief predicted that Westminster was likely to pull back from its current “hard Brexit” stance and seek to avoid leaving the single market.

“The closer you push Britain to the cliff edge in March 2019, I think the Tory party will turn back in on itself and realise that leaving the largest trading bloc is a stupid idea,” he said.

“It’s the longest suicide note in economic history and I think they will pull back.”