Ryanair Calls on EU Commission President to Protect Overflights During ATC Strikes

(IN SHORT) Ryanair, Europe’s leading airline, has urged the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take immediate action to safeguard overflights and preserve the freedom of movement for EU citizens amidst the surge in French air traffic control (ATC) strikes in 2023. The airline highlights that there have been 65 days of ATC strikes this year, over 13 times more than in 2022, resulting in thousands of canceled EU overflights from several countries. Ryanair contends that France should follow the example of other EU states, such as Spain, Italy, and Greece, which protect overflights during ATC strikes and cancel flights to/from the affected state. Ryanair is also urging passengers to support its call by signing the “Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open” petition. The airline emphasizes the need for the EU Commission to address this issue promptly and prevent overflight cancellations during ATC strikes that are unrelated to the passengers affected.

(PRESS RELEASE) DUBLIN, Ireland, 2023-Nov-20 — /Travel PR News/ — Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline, called on the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take urgent action to protect overflights and EU citizens’ freedom of movement during the French ATC strike taking place Mon, 20th Nov.

So far in 2023, there has been 65 days of ATC strikes (over 13 times more than in 2022) forcing airlines to cancel thousands of EU overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and the UK, while France in particular uses Minimum Service Laws to protect French flights. This is unfair. France (and all other EU states) should protect overflights during ATC strikes as they do in Spain, Italy and Greece, and cancel flights to/from the affected State.

Ryanair calls on the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take urgent action to protect overflights and EU citizens’ freedom of movement during ATC strikes and calls on passengers to join its call on the EU Commission by signing Ryanair’s “Protect Passengers: Keep EU Skies Open” petition as over 2m fed up passengers have already done.

A Ryanair spokesperson said:

‘It is completely unacceptable that there have been 65 days of ATC strikes this year (13 times more than in all of 2022) which have caused the cancellation of thousands of flights at short notice, unfairly disrupting EU passengers’ travel plans. Despite repeated calls on Ursula von der Leyen to protect passengers and overflights during these ATC strikes, she has failed to take any action to do so.

As a result, even more passengers will have their flights cancelled at short notice due to this French ATC strike on Mon, 20th Nov, despite not even flying to/from France. This is because France unfairly uses Minimum Service Laws to protect French flights while forcing cancellations on overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and the UK. We have no problem with French ATC unions exercising their right to strike, but the EU Commission should insist that cancellations due to French ATC strikes are allocated to French flights, not those overflying France en route to another unrelated EU destination.

EU passengers are sick and tired of suffering unnecessary overflight cancellations during ATC strikes, as evidenced by the 2m EU passenger signatures on our Protect Passengers – Keep EU Skies Open petition calling on Ursula von der Leyen to protect overflights and keep EU skies open during ATC strikes. There is no excuse for EU passengers not flying to/from the affected member state to bear the burden of ATC strikes that are completely unrelated to them and Ursula von der Leyen must immediately put a stop to this or answer to the 2m passengers who she has failed to protect by offering her resignation.”

Media Contact:

press@ryanair.com

Source: Ryanair

###

Subscribe to Notifications