Ryanair names and shames worst destinations for ATC delays
June 3, 2025
Following a record year in 2024 for air traffic control (ATC) delays, Ryanair has now launched a 2025 ATC “League of Delays” naming and shaming the European states most responsible for flight disruptions due to mismanagement and staff shortages.
Covering delays impacting its flights and passengers for the period 1 January to 26 March 2025, Ryanair’s league table puts France at the top with 15,634 flight delays and 2,814,120 passenger delays. Spain follows closely behind with 11,576 flight delays and 2,083,680 passenger delays. Germany, Portugal and the UK follow in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.
The airline is attributing the ATC delays to understaffing and inadequate planning by national ATC services, particularly during the first wave of morning flights. It also pointed out that while ATC delays soared last year, ATC fees to airlines and passengers rose by double the rate of inflation (+35% since Covid).
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary has been vocal in his criticism of the lack of action to fix “shoddy ATC services and delays” and has urged the European Commission and national governments to address these systemic issues. “We will hold EU Transport Ministers responsible for allowing such unnecessary and avoidable ATC delays to repeatedly occur,” he said.
He also argued that “National ATCs are made aware of airline schedules almost 12 months in advance, so there is no reason for them not to adequately staff up to manage this traffic. This is especially important for the first wave of morning flights as any morning delays knock on to flights throughout the rest of the day.”
Fixing Europe’s ATC staff shortages and protecting overflights during national ATC strikes, he said, “would eliminate 90% of the EU’s delays.”
Earlier this week, Ryanair called on the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen to intervene after passengers endured 5,000 hours of ATC delays across more than 34,000 flights on Sunday 1 June due to staff shortages at ATC centres across Europe.
Ryanair has also launched a public campaign through its Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight website, encouraging passengers to urge their national transport ministers to take action to avoid further flight delays this summer.
As the peak European summer season approaches, Ryanair has warned that without urgent reforms, passengers need to brace for continued disruptions. While the airline claims it strives to maintain punctuality, the root causes of these delays it says lie within the current state of Europe’s ATC systems and the lack of properly staffed ATC services.
