Ryanair has called on European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to take action to protect flights over Europe during national French ATC strikes, or stand down from her role.
In an open letter to Ms von der Leyen, chief executive Michael O’Leary said failure to protect and defend the single market for air travel during the strikes was “indefensible and unacceptable”.
The airline was forced to cancel more than 400 flights over two days as air traffic controllers took strike action in a bid to secure better working conditions. In total, airlines across Europe cancelled 1,500 flights, affecting around 300,000 passengers. Describing the action as “recreational”, Mr O’Leary said most of the flight cancellations could have been avoided if flights through French airspace were protected.
He rejected claims that air traffic control was a “national competence”, and said the EU must insist France protect flights passing through French airspace, or allow aviation organisation Eurocontrol to do so.
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“We do not allow our railways, our motorways, or our shipping lanes to be closed by industrial action, so it is unacceptable that the EU Commission President fails to defend the single market for air travel,” he said.
“During the Brexit negotiations, Commission President von der Leyen repeatedly stated that ‘protecting the single market is the most important duty of her presidency of the European Commission’. If that is so, then she should take immediate action to protect overflights and the single market for air travel during French ATC strikes and stop failing on this issue.”
Mr O’Leary noted that authorities in Spain, Italy and Greece protected overflights during air traffic control strikes. He also described the industrial action in France as an annual event, with “baseless claims”.
Air traffic controllers are demanding better working conditions, striking over persistent understaffing, outdated equipment and a toxic management culture.
Mr O’Leary has been critical of the European Commission’s response to the disruption, publicly calling last week for Ms von der Leyen to expedite reform of the system or resign.
