2 DAYS OF FRENCH ATC STRIKE (3-4 JULY) FORCES RYANAIR TO CANCEL 400 FLIGHTS DISRUPTING OVER 70,000 PASSENGERS

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs, 3 July) called on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to quit, if she is unwilling to reform Europe’s failed ATC Service, as French Air Traffic Controllers engage in a second day of recreational strikes on Thurs 3 / Fri 4 July. Ursula von der Leyen has failed to take any action over 6 years, to reform Europe’s ATC Service, which continues to disrupt the single market for air travel, and ruin the travel plans of thousands of EU passengers and their families every summer.

Last year the Draghi Report called on Europe to put competitiveness at the centre of its economic agenda. Nothing highlights the failure of Europe’s competitiveness more than these recreational strikes, every summer, in French ATC. This week’s strikes are even more absurd. They claim to be striking in protest at “understaffing”, yet the strikes only exacerbate this problem. As always, the French Govt uses minimum service legislation to protect local, domestic French flights, while cancelling a disproportionate number of overflights instead. The European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has a duty to protect the single market for air travel and to keep the skies over France open, so that passengers and families, who are not travelling to/from France can continue to fly to Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK, without having their flight needlessly disrupted by yet more French ATC strikes.

Ursula von der Leyen has been EU Commission President for 6 years. Over that period, not 1cm of progress has been made to reform Europe’s ATC service. Ryanair has repeatedly called for 2 simple reforms; (1) ensure that ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of morning flight departures and (2) protect overflights during National ATC strikes. Yet Ursula von der Leyen, while paying lip service to the Draghi Report and the need for “competitiveness”, disappears every time there is an ATC strike. Europe doesn’t allow its water ways, its roads or its train lines to be repeatedly closed by strikes. Yet every summer we allow our skies to be closed by a tiny number of Air Traffic Controllers in France, Germany and Spain, engaging in recreational strikes, when they have little to complain about. It is time for Ursula von der Leyen to reform ATC, deliver competitiveness, or resign.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“Once again on Thursday and Friday of this week, over 400 Ryanair flights and more than 70,000 Ryanair passengers and their families will have their travel plans disrupted by a tiny number of French Air Traffic Controllers, engaging in recreational strikes. Over 350 of these are overflights, which could and should be protected by the EU Commission. The bizarre justification for this week’s ATC strike is their objection to “short staffing”. Every year they find something new to strike about. While we recognise their right to strike, Europe’s airlines have repeatedly called on the European Commission to protect overflights. It is unacceptable, that flights which overfly France, and which could operate without disruption, are needlessly cancelled, simply because the European Commission won’t protect overflights, or defend the single market. This is unacceptable.

Ursula von der Leyen and her new Commission claim they have put Europe’s competitiveness at the centre of their economic strategy. Even the Draghi Report last year identified the urgent need for ATC reform, which can be delivered by protecting overflights and ensuring that ATC services are properly staffed. Yet 12 months later, nothing has changed. Ursula von der Leyen hides in her office in Brussels, while thousands of European citizens and their families have their flights and their holidays needlessly disrupted.

If Ursula von der Leyen isn’t willing to deliver competitiveness, isn’t willing to protect the single market, isn’t willing to protect overflights during National ATC strikes, then she should quit and let somebody more effective deliver the urgent ATC reform and the competitiveness, which Europe’s economy and our airlines’ passengers so badly need. The Airline Industry is fed up with Ursula von der Leyen’s failure to deliver ATC reform. If she won’t reform – then she should go!”.