Ryanair cancels flights for 30,000 passengers amid French ATC strike
"European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike," wrote Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary in a press release. "It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being canceled/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," he added.
Ryanair asked EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to "take urgent action to reform EU ATC services" after the airline was forced to cancel 170 flights slated for Thursday and Friday, which happens to coincide with the start of the European summer holiday season.
Ryanair's release also noted that aside from flights involving France being canceled, flights that fly over France to and from countries such as Ireland, Spain and Greece are also impacted.
"EU skies cannot be repeatedly closed just because French Air Traffic Controllers are going on recreational strikes," it declared.
"I am determined to stand firm against this unacceptable movement," said French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot in an X post Wednesday.
He called the ATC's choice to strike during the peak holiday departure time and salary increase demands, among other conditions, "unacceptable."
Tabarot also noted that the ATC strike impacts Air France, whose losses he said "are likely to amount to millions of euros, a burden that will ultimately fall on French taxpayers."
Ryanair has also created a website titled "Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight," which lists several EU nations' transportation ministers under the banner "ATC League Of Delays." It lists each minister's country, then alleges how many flights have been disrupted and passengers have been impacted by ATC delays.
It has Tabarot at the top, and purports 26,008 flights and 4,681,440 have been affected under his watch.
O'Leary also said in his statement that should von der Leyen reform EU ATC services by making sure ATC services are fully staffed for the beginning of daily departures and provide protection for overflights during national ATC strikes, it 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."
The UNSA-ICNA air traffic control engineer union had announced in June it would be striking on July 3 and 4, and in a statement released Saturday said it is "calling for a change of course to strengthen the staff, to complete technical modernization projects and to reinstate operational priorities at the heart of decisions."
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