Ryanair boss explodes at EU’s Air Traffic Control – ‘f***ing sky doesn’t belong to France’ | World | News
Ryanair’s CEO has criticized the European Union for failing to protect “flights” from the French strike. Michael O’Leary said the bloc’s air traffic control did not adequately protect flights in French airspace from taking off or landing there from being affected by ongoing industrial action in the country. Rules preventing airlines from flying over France while air controllers are on strike have been a source of fear for operators, including Mr O’Leary, for years, partly because of the country’s location in Europe and the frequency of the action.
A strike planned earlier this month by France’s central air traffic controller union, SNCTA, was postponed at the last minute, sparking chaos for some airlines as they prepared to halt flights; Ryanair estimates up to 600 strikes will be affected a day. Mr O’Leary said: “The bloody sky doesn’t belong in France” Telegram. “[But] “Everyone is trying to fly around France, which means even the flights taking place at that time are massively delayed and congested.”
Ryanair lobbied Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission to overhaul the rules and allow flights during attacks by air controllers, but to no avail. The CEO said the “unacceptable” situation was exacerbated by the minimum service legislation protecting flights during industrial action in Greece and Italy compared elsewhere.
“There’s a bunch of useless politicians wringing their hands and it all seems a bit complicated,” he said. “And they’re surrounded by useless civil servants, none of whom want to do anything or get off their fat asses and fix this scandal.”
Mr O’Leary added that 11 million Ryanair passengers had experienced “avoidable” disruptions so far this year due to French air traffic control strikes.
“The French, of course, do the opposite,” he said. “They are protecting local French flights… but overflights are being canceled disproportionately.”
“We have been campaigning together with other airlines for many years,” he added. “But of course [the European Commission] Spineless politicians that they are, they continue to fall back on the trope: The right to strike is a national power.
“We don’t want to stop the strike of French air traffic controllers. They can strike if they want, but they should cancel French flights and Europe should protect flights.”
The CEO also called on French politicians to ensure air traffic control units are fully staffed, saying the problem was two-fold, with wider inaction from the European Commission and further local failures on the ground in France.
Ryanair also launched a petition calling for passengers to be protected from disruptions caused by French workers, and more than 2 million people have signed a call to action claiming more than 99 days of air traffic control strikes have forced airlines to cancel flights since 2023.
