Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has renewed its call for urgent reform of air traffic control (ATC) services across the EU, highlighting persistent staffing and management failures in countries such as France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and the UK. The airline’s latest “League of Delays” report for June reveals these five countries continue to be Europe’s worst performers for ATC-related flight delays.
In stark contrast, nations like Slovakia, Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, and the Netherlands are delivering significantly more efficient ATC services, with fewer delays and better operational performance, demonstrating that effective management and adequate staffing are both possible and achievable.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary criticised the lack of accountability among national Transport Ministers in the worst-performing countries, accusing them of failing to address the root causes of delay: chronic understaffing and poor management. He stated:
“France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and the UK are responsible for thousands of flight delays every month due to their refusal to properly staff and manage their ATC systems. Meanwhile, better-run countries are delivering more on-time flights with fewer resources. These failures unfairly impact both passengers and airlines, who continue to bear the cost of substandard services.”
Ryanair has long advocated for EU-wide ATC reform to improve service reliability and reduce flight disruptions. The airline is urging passengers to demand action by visiting its ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and calling on their respective Transport Ministers to implement the necessary staffing and management improvements before the busy summer travel period escalates delays even further.