Ryanair Holdings plc today (Wed, 3 May) released Apr 2023 traffic stats as follows:
Ryanair operated over 89,650 flights in Apr 2023. Regrettably, over 650 flights (approx. 118,000 guests) were cancelled due to French ATC strikes in April. We call all EU citizens to sign our “Protect Overflights” petition on www.ryanair.com to force the EU Commission to take action to protect overflights.
*Apr 2022 traffic and load factor affected by the Ukraine invasion.
FED UP PASSENGERS CALL ON EU COMMISSION TO PROTECT OVERFLIGHTS AHEAD OF ANOTHER FRENCH ATC STRIKE ON MON, 1ST MAY
Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline, today (28 Apr) confirmed that over 600,000 passengers have signed its “Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open” petition calling on the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take immediate action to protect European citizen’s Freedom of Movement and overflights during French ATC strikes.
When Ryanair’s petition reaches 1 million signatures, the airline will submit it to the EU Commission and demand that President Ursula von der Leyen finally takes action to protect EU citizen’s Freedom of Movement when French ATC repeatedly strike.
Despite only launching just 5 weeks ago, Ryanair has already collected over 600,000 signatures from passengers who are sick and tired of having their travel plans cancelled at short notice due to French ATC strikes, and all because the EU Commission has failed to protect their right to the Freedom of Movement. EU citizens now understand that their travel plans are being disrupted unnecessarily by French ATC unions and are demanding action from the EU Commission.
In the first 4 months of 2023, there have been over 50 days of French ATC strikes (10 times more than all of 2022) which have forced Ryanair to cancel over 3,700 flights, cancelling over 666,000 passengers’ flights at short notice. France uses Minimum Service Legislation to protect French domestic flights, while EU overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland are disproportionately cancelled. This is unfair and must change. Italy and Greece already protect overflights during ATC strikes and the EU Commission must now insist that France does likewise.
A Ryanair spokesperson said:
“We are overwhelmed by the support for our Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open petition with over 600,000 signatures already from passengers calling on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take immediate action to protect their Freedom of Movement and overflights by keeping EU skies open during repeated French ATC strikes. We are rapidly approaching the 1 million signatures we need to force the EU Commission to take action to protect overflights and EU citizens’ Freedom of Movement.
French ATC strikes are the No.1 risk to EU citizens’ travel plans this Summer and passengers are really starting to understand that the EU Commission is doing nothing to mitigate that risk and protect their Freedom of Movement. EU citizens are now signing our petition to demand action from the EU Commission to protect them and their family’s travel plans this Summer. The EU’s Single Market for air travel should not be repeatedly disrupted by tiny French ATC unions because the EU Commission fails to take action. It’s time to protect overflights during French ATC strikes as Italy and Greece already do. If French ATC unions insist to strike (as is their right) then cancel French flights and protect overflights.”
FRENCH ATC STRIKES HAVE UNFAIRLY CANCELLED OVER 627,000 PASSENGERS’ FLIGHTS
On the 38th day of French ATC strikes in just 3 months, Ryanair has condemned EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen for her inexcusable failure to protect EU citizens/visitors’ fundamental right to the Freedom of Movement, by irresponsibly allowing EU skies to be closed repeatedly during French ATC strikes.
President von der Leyen has shown how little she cares about EU citizens/visitors and their rights by allowing over 627,000 Ryanair passengers’ flights in the first 3 months of 2023 alone to be cancelled at short notice due to French ATC strikes, disrupting travel plans, diminishing essential intra-European connectivity and damaging tourism. However, these passengers could easily be protected without impeding on French ATC unions’ right to strike with the following measures:
French unions can exercise their right to strike without being allowed to close the entire upper French airspace, as ATC unions in Spain, Italy and Greece avoid by protecting overflights. It is completely disproportionate and unfair that internal French flights are protected under Min. Services Legislation, but EU citizens/visitors’ overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland are cancelled.
President von der Leyen and the EU Commission have a duty to protect EU citizens’ right to the Freedom of Movement. Ryanair is calling on EU passengers to sign its Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open petition and demand that the EU Commission and President von der Leyen take immediate action to protect their rights as EU citizens.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said:
“Today, French ATC are striking for the 38th day in just 3 months with thousands more EU passengers having their flights to see friends and family unfairly cancelled at short notice. While we have no difficulty with French unions exercising their right to strike, we do expect President von der Leyen to do her job and defend and protect EU citizens/visitors’ fundamental right to the Freedom of Movement, which she and her College of Commissioners have inexplicably failed to do.
It is completely disproportionate and unfair that the French Govt can use Min. Services Legislation to protect internal French flights but force the cancellation of flights over France. President von der Leyen should protect EU citizens/visitors on non-French flights overflying French Airspace from Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland. The EU’s Single Market for air travel and overflights should not be repeatedly cancelled because the EU Commission fails to take action.
Ryanair is calling on EU passengers to join our call on President von der Leyen and sign our Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open petition to demand that the EU Commission take action to protect their rights as EU citizens.”
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, today (12 Apr) announced that it has expanded its partnership with the world leading sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplier, Neste, to power its full schedule of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) flights with a 40% SAF blend from 1 Apr.
This significant increase in SAF use represents the latest milestone development in Ryanair’s ambitious goal of operating 12.5% of flights with SAF by 2030 and further supports Ryanair’s Pathway to Net Zero by 2050 decarbonisation goals, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 32%.
Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler said:
“Ryanair is delighted to extend our partnership with Neste to increase the amount of Ryanair flights at Amsterdam being powered with a 40% blend of SAF from a third of flights to our entire Amsterdam operation from 1 April.
Increasing the use of SAF is a fundamental pillar of our Pathway to Net Zero by 2050 decarbonisation strategy and this increase at Amsterdam will reduce greenhouse gas emissions of our flights from there by 32%.
We look forward to continuing our growing partnership with Neste as we further progress our goal of operating 12.5% of Ryanair flights with SAF by 2030.”
Alexander Küper, Neste’s Vice President EMEA, Renewable Aviation added:
“Decarbonising aviation is more important than ever, and we are proud to support Ryanair in achieving their ambitious Pathway to Net Zero by 2050. Increasing the usage of SAF to all flights departing from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a major milestone enabling Ryanair to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions of its operations at the airport.
We look forward to continuing working together with Ryanair on the reduction of their emissions as we increase our annual SAF production capability to 1.5 million tons per annum by the end of 2023.”
Ryanair Holdings plc today (Mon, 3 Apr) released Mar 2023 traffic stats as follows:
The Board of Ryanair Holdings plc today (Tues 28th March) announced that Ms Elisabeth Köstinger, an Austrian citizen, and Mr Eamonn Brennan, an Irish citizen, have agreed to join the Board of Ryanair Holdings plc as non-executive directors effective from 1 April 2023.
Elisabeth Köstinger is a former Austrian politician who was an MEP from 2009 to 2017, and subsequently served as Minister for Agriculture, Sustainability and Tourism in the Government of Chancellors Kurz, Schallenberg and Nehammer. She retired from politics in 2022 to become CEO of an Austrian ESG-Fintech.
Eamonn Brennan was formerly Chief Executive of the Irish Aviation Authority, and more recently the Director General of Eurocontrol from 2018 to 2022. Mr Brennan has been a central figure in European aviation over the past 5 years.
Ryanair’s Chairman Stan McCarthy said:
“We are pleased that Elisabeth and Eamonn have accepted our invitation to join the Board of Ryanair Holdings plc from 1 April 2023. Elisabeth brings significant political, environmental and business experience, and is our first Continental European Board Member since 2013. Eamonn brings enormous aviation expertise to the Board as former CEO of the Irish Aviation Authority and DG of Eurocontrol. We look forward to both Elisabeth and Eamonn making a significant contribution to our Board, as we develop our strategy for growth of low fare services across Europe for the next decade.”
ENDS
Ryanair, Europe’s largest passenger airline, today (Mon 27th Mar) condemned the continuing cancellation of flights over France due to repeated French ATC strikes. As always, French Minimum Service Legislation is used to protect French domestic flights, but EU overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland are cancelled solely because a tiny French ATC union repeatedly closes the skies over Europe.
Over this past weekend, over 25% of Ryanair’s 9,000 scheduled flights were delayed due to French ATC disruptions, and 230 flights (41,000 passengers) were cancelled to comply with French ATC capacity restrictions. These repeated disruptions of EU overflights is unacceptable.
Last year, Eurocontrol recommended the Commission take modest action to respond to ATC strikes (without affecting the right to strike) as follows;
Sadly, to date, the EU Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen have failed to take any action on these measures to protect EU citizens and overflights.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said:
“Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission repeatedly claim that the Single Market is a priority for Europe. In negotiations around Brexit, the Single Market was the EU Commissions priority. However, every time French ATC goes on strike, the Single Market for air travel over Europe is disrupted, yet the EU Commission sits on its hands taking no action.
When the French Government uses Minimum Service Legislation to protect French flights, why does Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission stand idly by and allow EU overflights to be disproportionately cancelled on a daily basis? We call on the Commission to take legal action against France and its ATC unions, to protect EU overflights. Innocent EU passengers travelling from Germany to Spain, or from Ireland to Italy, are entitled to rely on the EU’s Single Market for air travel, and their overflights should not be repeatedly cancelled because the EU Commissions fails to take action to defend the Single Market.
Europe’s Single European Sky (SESAR) project has been a 20 year catalogue of failure. No progress has been made in 2 decades. Eurocontrol has already recommended that the Commission take legal action to protect overflights, and it is about time that Ursula von der Leyen and her Commission stopped hiding and started acting to defend the Single Market for air travel across Europe. We have no difficulty with French unions exercising their right to strike, but we expect the European Commission to defend and protect the Single Market, and not have it repeatedly shut down or EU overflights cancelled just because French ATC unions engage in these recreational strikes.”
ENDS