Ryanair is back with harsh language and strong criticism of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for immediate action to protect overflights during national air traffic controller (ATC) strikes and to ensure that services are adequately staffed, especially for early morning flights.
Ryanair’s intervention comes just a day after von der Leyen survived a motion of censure in the European Parliament, with the airline calling it the President’s “last chance” to deliver on her commitment to “efficiency and competitiveness” in the European aviation market.
Strikes paralyse Europe
Ryanair and its passengers complain that, despite almost 20% of EU flights passing through French airspace, French legislation on minimum services during controllers’ strikes does not protect overflights. This, the company notes, does not apply in other European countries such as Greece, Italy, and Spain, where overflights are exempt from similar strikes.
This situation led, according to Ryanair, to the cancellation of 1,500 flights in two days (July 3 and 4) due to new strikes by French controllers, with the result that more than 270,000 passengers saw their travel plans disrupted. The company estimates that 90% of these cancellations could have been avoided if measures had been taken to protect overflights.
Von der Leyen in the crosshairs
Ryanair has not hesitated to describe the French controllers’ strikes as “recreational strikes”, arguing that a small group of controllers could “close the skies of Europe”, at huge cost to passengers and airlines. Despite repeated calls for intervention, the company claims that the European Commission, under von der Leyen’s leadership, has taken no substantive initiative for six years.
Using the nickname “Ursula von Derlayed-Again” (a play on words referring to delays), Ryanair underlines that von der Leyen has failed to defend the free movement of people in Europe’s airspace and to ensure that passengers travelling to or from other countries are not unfairly affected by strike action that does not concern them.
Michael O’Leary’s intervention
In a statement, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said:
“It is unacceptable to see that, despite the cancellation of 1,500 flights and the disruption of 270,000 European citizens’ travel plans in just two days due to ‘entertainment’ strikes by French controllers, the President of the European Commission has done absolutely nothing to protect overflights. Why can’t controllers close European skies again next week or the week after?”
The airline’s chief executive called on von der Leyen to take immediate action, pushing for two key reforms:
Protecting overflights during national ATC strikes, so that flights not related to the country on strike are not cancelled or delayed.
Fully staffing air traffic services for early morning flights, which are often disproportionately affected by staff shortages.
O’Leary stressed that these two simple changes could eliminate 90% of flight delays and cancellations in Europe, helping to improve the efficiency and reliability of air transport.
Risk to the single European market
Ryanair warns that the European Commission’s repeated inaction undermines not only the reliability of the European air transport system but also the single market itself, as the right to the free movement of goods and people is violated every time the European network is grounded due to strikes in a single member state.
With the renewal of her term, President von der Leyen is called upon to demonstrate in practice that she can ensure the smooth functioning of transport in Europe and protect millions of passengers from the consequences of repeated strikes.
