Ryanair, Europe’s no. 1 airline, has today (31 Jan) called on the European Commission once again to take urgent action to protect overflights during yet another French ATC strike taking place from 17.00, 30 Jan – 06.00, 1 Feb, as already happens in Greece and Italy, and prevent unnecessary disruption to the travel plans of EU citizens from the likes of Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK.

The EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has repeatedly failed to protect Europe’s single market for air travel by allowing flights overflying France to be hijacked time after time by tiny French ATC unions who close the skies over France for EU passengers travelling to/from countries outside France while protecting the flights of French citizens and French domestic flights.

Hundreds of thousands of airline passengers were delayed last summer due to French ATC strikes, a problem which could easily be resolved with intervention by the EU Commission to protect overflights when ATC in individual member states go on strike, as already happens in Greece and Italy, and stop the unnecessary disruption to EU passengers last Summer being repeated in Summer ’23.

Ryanair confirmed that it has been forced to cancel a small number of flights to/from France today (31 Jan) as a result of this pointless ATC strike, and advises passengers travelling to/from/over France during this period to check the Ryanair website or app for flight status updates before travelling to the airport.

Ryanair’s Neal McMahon said:

“It is inexplicable that the EU Commission continues to sit on their hands and ignore the widespread impact that these French ATC strikes have on EU passengers who are not even travelling to/from France, while the French Govt use their minimum services policy to protect French domestic flights for French citizens.

Ryanair once again calls on the EU Commission under Ursula Von Der Leyen to take immediate action to protect European citizens travelling from the likes of Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK whose travel plans will be needlessly disrupted today (31 Jan) due to the EU Commission’s repeated inaction to protect overflights when French ATC go on strike.

Protecting overflights during ATC strikes in individual member states, as they do in Greece and Italy, is the most simple and effective solution to avoid unnecessary mass disruption and should be immediately implemented by the EU Commission to prevent the needless disruption of ATC strikes last summer being repeated in Summer ’23.”