Ryanair has harshly criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for immediate reform of the European air traffic control (ATC) system to protect overflights in the event of strikes, or… her resignation.
According to a statement from the company on Thursday, the new 24-hour strike by French air traffic controllers caused serious, avoidable delays to more than 190 flights and affected at least 35,000 Ryanair passengers, with delays of up to three hours.
Ryanair stresses that around 70% of the flights affected by today’s strike were “overflights”, i.e. international flights that simply cross French airspace without having a destination or origin in France.
It is inconceivable that these overflight delays could have been avoided if Ursula von der Leyen had taken any measures in the last 6 years to defend the Single Market in air transport, by separating the upper airspace and allowing Eurocontrol to manage overflights during national ATC strikes, the company underlines.
Ryanair also cites the Draghi Competitiveness Report (September 2024), which highlights the enormous economic cost of delays and malfunctions in European ATC. The company is calling for two key reforms:
– Mandatory full staffing of national control services for the first wave of morning flights, with fines for failure.
– Ensuring protection of overflights during national strikes.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary accused Ursula von der Leyen of “doing nothing for six years” to resolve the issue, warning that if no action is taken, European airlines will face a new wave of cancellations from the next planned strike by French controllers on 7–9 October.
As he characteristically states, “If President von “Derlayed-Again” does not protect overflights during national ATC strikes, then she should step down and let someone responsible do the job. Europe needs reform and competitiveness. We don’t need useless politicians who promise reform but do nothing. Passengers flying from London to Rome or from Brussels to Madrid shouldn’t be held hostage every time there’s a national ATC strike because Ursula von “Derlayed-Again” isn’t doing her job!
