RYANAIR CALLS ON EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT TO TAKE ACTION OR RESIGN

Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline, today (18 Dec) called on the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take urgent action to protect overflights and EU citizens’ freedom of movement during ATC strikes with passengers facing further unnecessary disruption today due to French ATC strikes.

There has been no action from the EU Commission to date, who continue to ignore over 2 million fed-up EU passengers who have signed Ryanair’s “Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open” petition calling on Ursula von der Leyen to take immediate action to protect overflights and EU citizens’ freedom of movement during repeated ATC strikes.

So far in 2023, there have been 67 days of ATC strikes (13 times more than in 2022), forcing airlines to cancel thousands of EU overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and the UK, while France uses Minimum Service Laws to protect French local flights. This is unfair. France (and all other EU states) should protect overflights during ATC strikes as they do in Spain, Italy and Greece and cancel flights to/from the affected State.

Ryanair again calls on Ursula von der Leyen to act on the petition of over 2 million EU passengers as follows;

• Respect the strike rights of ATC unions
• Protect 100% of flights overflying strike-affected countries
• Require 21-day advance notice of ATC strikes
• Require 72-hour advance notice of participation in ATC strikes

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

‘We are still waiting on Ursula von der Leyen to take action to protect EU passengers’ Freedom of Movement by keeping EU skies open by protecting overflights during repeated ATC strikes. It is unacceptable that passengers face more disruption from French ATC strikes again this Mon, (18^thDec) which is the 67^th  day of ATC strikes in 2023 alone.

As a result, even more passengers will have their flights delayed due to this French ATC strike, disrupting millions of EU passengers’ Christmas travel plans despite not even flying to/from France. This is because France unfairly uses Minimum Service Laws to protect French flights while forcing disruption on overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and the UK. We have no problem with French ATC unions exercising their right to strike, but the EU Commission should insist that cancellations due to national French strikes are allocated to French flights, not those overflying France flying to another EU destination.

The EU Commission President continues to ignore over 2m EU citizens who have signed our Protect Passengers – Keep EU Skies Open petition. It is disgraceful that Ursula von der Leyen has failed to act on this petition which Ryanair has delivered directly to the EU Commission offices in both May and Sept last.

EU passengers are sick and tired of suffering unnecessary overflight cancellations during ATC strikes. The EU Commission must now act upon the petition of more than 2m EU passengers’ signatures – there is no excuse for EU passengers not flying to/from the affected member state to bear the burden of national ATC strikes that are completely unrelated to them. Ursula von der Leyen must immediately put a stop to this or answer to the 2m passengers who she has failed to protect, by offering her resignation.”