Travel plans for over 30,000 passengers have been thrown into disarray after Ryanair announced the cancellation of more than 170 flights due to strikes by French air traffic controllers, reports The Mirror.
The Irish budget airline said the cancellations, which will take place on Thursday and Friday, impact not only flights heading to and from France but also those passing through French airspace en route to destinations including the UK, Greece, Spain, and Ireland. Passengers are advised to check the Ryanair website for updates on their flight status.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has again urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to implement “urgent action” to reform the EU’s air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure, following the latest disruption at the start of the summer holiday period, reports The Mirror.
Mr O’Leary said: “Once again, European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike. It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays,” reports The Mirror.
Ryanair has consistently advocated for sweeping changes to how air traffic control is managed throughout Europe.
The airline is pushing for EU-wide measures to ensure that ATC operations are adequately staffed for early morning departures and that overflights are safeguarded during national air traffic control strikes.
“These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90 per cent of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike,” Mr O’Leary added, reports The Mirror.
The airline also noted on Wednesday that it had been impacted by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, leading to the cancellation of over 800 flights last month.
Ryanair is among several carriers that have altered or scrapped routes due to ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran, as well as continued violence in Gaza, reports The Mirror.
Just last week, operations were suspended at Dubai airport in the UAE, with passengers being warned to prepare for additional delays and cancellations.
Despite these challenges, Ryanair said it managed to operate more than 109,000 flights in June, meaning fewer than 1 per cent of its services were disrupted.
The airline reported carrying 19.9 million passengers during the month — a 3 per cent rise compared to June last year, reports The Mirror.
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