Ryanair has urged the EU to act after French air traffic control strikes resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
The Irish-based carrier cancelled 170 flights yesterday and today.
Airlines for Europe which lobbies on behalf of the industry said in total more than 1,500 flights have been cancelled by the French strikes, affecting nearly 300,000 passengers.
Ryanair said many of the flights it was forced to cancel are not destined for France, but are affected by the closure of French airspace.
“Most disrupted passengers are not even flying to/from France but just overflying French airspace en route to their destination (e.g., UK – Greece, Spain – Ireland, etc.). EU skies cannot be repeatedly closed just because [of] French Air Traffic Controllers”, Ryanair said in a statement.
The airline said EU law could be put in place to insist on a level of service in case of strikes.
“Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike. It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays”, said Ryanair’s group CEO, Michael O’Leary.
“Ryanair calls on [European Commission President] Ursula von der Leyen to take urgent action to reform EU ATC services by 1.) ensuring that ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, and 2.) protecting overflights during national ATC strikes. These 2 splendid reforms would eliminate 90% of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike.”
In response, the European Commission said it was aware of the problems caused by strikes.
An EU spokesperson pointed to a letter sent to European governments by the European Commissioner for Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, ahead of the summer holidays season.
In the letter, seen by NewsIreland.eu, Commissioner Tzitzikostas urges governments to invest in air traffic control.
Staff shortages and “outdated technology” are particularly concerning, the Commissioner said.
“I am asking for your immediate attention before the summer season especially to ensure that Air navigation service providers actually deliver the capacity they have formally promised and deploy air traffic controllers in the locations and in the time slots they are most needed.”
Airlines for Europe Managing Director, Ourania Georgoutsakou, said the strike was “intolerable.”
“French ATC already delivers some of Europe’s worst delay figures and now the actions of a minority of French ATC workers will needlessly disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and across Europe,”
Responding to Ryanair’s concerns and proposals for a change in EU law, a European Commission spokesperson said “this issue is very much on our radar”.