FRENCH ATC STRIKE (18 SEP) DISRUPTS 35,000 RYANAIR PASSENGERS AND COUNTING

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Thurs, 18 Sep) called on EU President, Ursula von “Derlayed-Again”, to urgently reform EU ATC to protect overflights during national ATC strikes or quit. This comes as over 190 Ryanair flights and 35,000 Ryanair passengers suffered avoidable delays of up to 3 hours today due to yet another French ATC strike.

70% of the flights disrupted by today’s French strikes were overflights. These flights are not even flying to/from France but flying across French airspace. It is inexcusable that the thousands of EU citizens on these overflights (travelling from London to Rome or Athens to Dublin, etc. – not France) are forced to suffer delays due to a French strike over the national budget – a matter that has nothing to do with them! It is even more absurd that these overflight delays could have been avoided if Ursula von der Leyen had taken any action over the last 6 years to defend the Single Market for air travel by separating the upper air space, and allowing Eurocontrol to manage overflights during national ATC strikes.

The Draghi Report on competitiveness was published in Sept 2024, highlighting the multi-billion cost of ATC inefficiencies and flight delays. Despite promising urgent action on the Draghi Report, Ursula von der Leyen has done nothing to reform the EU’s broken ATC system. Europe’s airlines are united in calling for 2 effective reforms; (1) mandate that national ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of morning flights or face fines, and (2) the EU Comm acts to protect overflights during national ATC strikes.

French unions have called for another strike from 7-9 Oct, during which Europe’s airlines will be forced to cancel and delay hundreds more flights overflying France. Ursula von der Leyen must now take urgent action to protect these EU citizens and the Single Market from being shut down by French ATC unions.

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said:

“Yet again today, thousands of EU passengers – the vast majority of whom are travelling on overflights – have had their travel plans needlessly disrupted by French ATC strikes while Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” sits on her hands doing squat. Six years as Commission President and she has done nothing to fix the EU’s broken ATC system despite Europe’s airlines handing her simple solutions; (1) require that national ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of morning flights, and (2) protect overflights (and the Single Market) during national ATC strikes.

If President von “Derlayed-Again” won’t protect overflights during national ATC strikes, then she should step aside and let someone competent do the job. Europe needs reform and competitiveness. We don’t need useless politicians promising reform but doing nothing. Passengers flying from London to Rome or Brussels to Madrid shouldn’t be held hostage every time there’s a national ATC strike because Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” won’t do her job!”