Ryanair calls on NATS CEO Martin Rolfe to explain why NATS paid a £171m dividend to shareholders while its ATC service continues to deteriorate. This excessive dividend should have been reinvested in fixing NATS’ failing operation, including recruiting and rostering sufficient standby controllers, ensuring adequate standby cover, upgrading equipment, and improving resilience ahead of the peak summer season.

Instead, under Martin Rolfe’s “leadership”, NATS have prioritised shareholder payouts over operational performance, leaving passengers and airlines to suffer repeated and entirely avoidable delays caused by poor staffing, inadequate standby cover and ongoing system failures.

Ryanair’s Dara Brady said:

“UK passengers are once again being let down by NATS’ failing ATC service. In April alone, over 133,000 Ryanair passengers suffered avoidable delays – up 142% on last year – with more than 115 hours of disruption caused by NATS mismanagement, staff shortages and equipment failures.

Yesterday (28 Apr) at Stansted, over 1,800 Ryanair passengers were delayed because NATS did not have enough standby controllers. This is simply unacceptable.

It is indefensible that NATS paid a £171m dividend to shareholders while its service continues to fail passengers. This money should have been spent fixing staffing shortages, improving standby cover and upgrading systems – not handed to shareholders while passengers suffer.

NATS CEO Martin Rolfe must explain why passengers are still enduring avoidable delays while NATS prioritises dividends over delivering a functioning ATC service. UK passengers deserve better than repeated delays, poor staffing and endless excuses.”