ATC CAPACITY SLASHED 50%, DELAYING THOUSANDS OF PASSENGERS

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Fri, 3 Oct) called on EU President, Ursula von “Derlayed-Again”, to urgently reform Europe’s broken ATC system and protect of overflights. This comes as thousands of EU passengers – the vast majority of whom are travelling on overflights – are expected to suffer avoidable flight delays/cancellations due to the Slovenian ATC strike on 6-7 Oct. This is because Slovenia’s minimum service laws do not protect overflights during national ATC strikes, as they do in Italy, Spain, and Greece. As a result, thousands of EU passengers, who are not flying to/from Slovenia but simply overflying Slovenian airspace en route to their destination (e.g., Warsaw to Rome or Athens to Frankfurt, etc. – not Slovenia), will be forced to suffer avoidable delays/cancellations due to national strike that has nothing to do with them.

This is grossly unfair, yet Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” sits in Brussels doing nothing to protect EU passengers or the Single market for air travel. Ryanair is now calling on EU passengers to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and demand that Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” take urgent action to reform the EU’s broken ATC by (1) mandating that national ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of morning flights or face fines, and (2) protecting overflights (and the Single Market) during national ATC strikes.

Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said:

“It is completely unacceptable that EU passengers not even flying to/from Slovenia but overflying Slovenian airspace en route to their destination (e.g., Warsaw to Rome) are being forced to suffer avoidable flight  delays/cancellations as a result of a Slovenian ATC strike, which has nothing to do with them. This is because Slovenia does not protect overflights during national ATC strikes, like they do in Italy, Spain, and Greece.

Europe’s airlines are united in calling for 2 effective ATC reforms; (1) mandate that national ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of morning flights or face fines, and (2) protect overflights (and the Single Market) during national ATC strikes. Ryanair calls on Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” to take urgent action to implement these two simple reforms, or step aside and let someone competent do her job.”