UK among ‘worst offenders’ for ATC delays, says Ryanair’s O’Leary
Ryanair has issued a scathing critique of air traffic control (ATC) operations in five key European nations, demanding that the European Commission step in to address chronic staffing shortages and persistent flight delays.
The low-cost carrier, Europe’s largest by passenger numbers, is calling out the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Greece for what it describes as years of mismanagement and failure to maintain adequate air traffic resources.
Ryanair claims these countries are responsible for the majority of Europe’s airspace delays and insists that the problem could be solved with sufficient staffing and better leadership.
By contrast, the airline highlights the performance of air traffic authorities in countries such as Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovakia, which the airline says have consistently kept flights moving without delay or disruption.
‘Scandal of short-staffing and mismanagement’
Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said: “If the Danes, the Belgians, the Dutch, the Irish and the Slovakians can properly staff their ATC services and eliminate “ATC capacity” delays, then why can’t we expect a similar service from the very well-funded (by airlines), but hopelessly mismanaged French, Spanish, German, Greek and UK ATC providers.
“The difference is that these are protected state monopolies, who don’t care about customer service, they don’t care about passengers, and they don’t care about their airline customers either. Every year they are short-staffed and they are responsible for over 90% of Europe’s flight delays, which adds an extra 10% to aviation emissions in Europe.
“This scandal of short-staffing and mismanagement among the French, German, Spanish, Greek and UK ATCs can no longer be tolerated. It is time the European Commission intervened and demanded an efficient, competitive ATC service from all the Nation States of Europe.
“Ryanair, our customers, and our passengers are fed up with these avoidable ATC delays, which are imposed on us every Summer by the French, the Germans, the Spanish, the Greeks and the British. All that is necessary to properly manage their ATC service is to recruit and train sufficient Air Traffic Controllers, just as the Irish, the Danes, the Dutch, the Belgians and the Slovakians have already shown.”
Two decade campaign to improve ATC
He added: “It is time for this European mismanagement and incompetence to end, or for ATC services of France, Germany, Spain, Greece, and the UK to be opened up to the competition.
“Europe must allow competition to deliver, where Government owned ATC Monopolies have clearly failed. When the Belgians, Dutch, Danes, Irish and Slovakians have delivered an efficient ATC service, then why can’t/won’t the French, Germans, Spanish, Greek and the UK ATC providers do likewise.”
The airline’s criticism is not new.
The low-cost carrier has been campaigning for over two decades for reform of Europe’s fragmented ATC system, which remains governed by national providers despite billions in funding for initiatives like SESAR, the Single European Sky project.
