Tourexpi
Ryanair, Europe’s number one airline, has called on EU
Commission President Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” to urgently reform the EU’s
failing air traffic control (ATC) services or resign. The demand follows the
airline’s publication of its “ATC Delay League” for September, showing that France,
Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Greece deliver the worst ATC performance
in Europe, suffering from chronic delays and cancellations due to inadequate
staffing and poor management.
There is no justification for these persistent
disruptions, particularly as Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Denmark operate their air traffic control systems efficiently – without
mismanagement or staff shortages – and therefore report the lowest levels of
delays and cancellations in Europe this year.
Ryanair has repeatedly urged the EU to reform its
underperforming ATC system, yet Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” continues to ignore
the ongoing disruptions, which have already affected over 30 million EU
passengers in 2025. The airline now calls on EU travellers to visit the website
“Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight” and demand that von der Leyen take
immediate action to repair Europe’s broken ATC system by implementing two key
measures:
National ATC providers must be fully staffed for the
first wave of morning flights, or face financial penalties.
Overflights and the EU single aviation market must be
protected during national ATC strikes.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair
“It is unacceptable that Europe’s weakest air traffic
control systems in France, Spain, Germany, the UK and Greece continue to cause
so many avoidable delays and cancellations for millions of Ryanair passengers.
EU airlines have already offered a clear solution:
National ATC services must be fully staffed for
morning operations, or face fines.
The European Commission must take action to protect
overflights during national ATC strikes.
Yet EU President Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’ remains
idle in Brussels, protecting neither EU passengers nor the integrity of
Europe’s single aviation market.
Europe’s air traffic control needs urgent reform. If
Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’ cannot deliver it, she should step aside and let
someone competent take on the task.”
Image
Credit: © AA
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