Ryanair could cancel up to 600 flights a day amid France air traffic control strikes | World | News
People flying from the UK to France and holiday destinations such as Greece, Italy and Spain might have their flights affected next week. Ryanair could cancel up to 600 flights a day due to French air traffic control strikes, the airline has claimed. Strike action organised by the biggest French air traffic control union, the SNCTA, will take place from 7 to 10 October, reducing capacity across western European airspace.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary expects Ryanair to be told to cancel up to 600 flights daily, impacting up to 100,000 passengers. However, airlines still don’t know exactly how many flights will need to be cancelled. Estimates by other airlines are yet to be shared. O’Leary said the UK gets the most cancellations because of its geographic proximity to France.
In another French strike on 18 September, Ryanair said more than 190 of its flights, carrying 35,000 Ryanair passengers, were delayed for hours.
In an online statement, O’Leary said: “We cannot have a situation in the EU where we have a single market yet we close that market every time the French go on strike.
“They have the right to strike, but if flights are to be cancelled they should be flights arriving to and from France. They should not be overflights.
“We’re calling again on Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president … If she’s not willing to defend the single market, if she’s not willing to protect overflights, then she should go.”
O’Leary said that Eurocontrol, which oversees the operations of Europe’s independent air traffic control services, could manage overflights during strikes.
A Department of Transport spokesperson told Sky News: “Airspace is sovereign, and it is for each state to decide how best to manage their own.
“We know strikes can cause disruption for passengers and airlines and airports have robust resilience plans in place to minimise their impact.”
The pressure has been intensified by restrictions on available airspace, with routes closed over Russia and Ukraine. As a result, air traffic controllers have been forced to manage a higher volume of flights, often leading to longer waits and rescheduled journeys. Ryanair has been the most outspoken, though several other carriers have also raised issues over the impact of air traffic control on delays.
Michael O’Leary told the Money blog the strikes would cost Ryanair around £20m and while the airline could afford to swallow the cost, he said customers should complain as it will be them ending up worse off.
