CALLS ON UK GOVT TO PROPERLY STAFF ATC SERVICES & ELIMINATE AVOIDABLE ATC DELAYS

Ryanair, UK’s No.1 airline, today (Sun, 1 June) called for NATS CEO, Martin Rolfe, to resign immediately after almost 12,000 Ryanair passengers travelling to/from London Stansted Airport yesterday (Sat, 31 May) were made to suffer unnecessary delays of up to 50 minutes due to NATS ATC staff shortages. 

Ryanair has long campaigned for reform to ensure ATCs are fully staffed but ATC delays are getting worse, as evidenced by yesterday’s delays to/from London Stansted due to NATS staff shortages. On Friday (30 May) Ryanair launched its ATC “League of Delays”, highlighting the states whose short staffed and mismanaged ATCs are causing the worst delays for Ryanair flights and passengers in 2025. The UK ranked 5^th with 1,642 flights and more than 295,000 passengers delayed.

Transport Ministers are responsible for their national ATC services. They must not be allowed to preside over another year of record ATC delays due to mismanagement and staff shortages. Ryanair calls on all passengers to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and use the template email to complain directly to their national Transport Minister, and demand that these lazy politicians take action to properly staff ATC services and avoid unnecessary ATC delays this summer.