Ryanair has issued a strong statement slamming air traffic control (ATC) across Europe and specifically Greece and calling on the European Commission to urgently reform the bloc’s system, following strikes, staff shortages, and equipment failures that the Irish airline blames for “unacceptable” disruption to passengers.
In a statement, the low-cost carrier points to over 5,000 Ryanair flights and over 900,000 passengers that have been affected so far in 2025 by what it calls mismanagement of Greek ATC, noting that Greece ranks as the 5th worst ATC service for delays in Europe. Statistics from Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, place Greece second in Europe behind France, for the most flight delays this month.
Two days of strike action by French ATC in July 2025 disrupted around a million passenger journeys, with almost 3,000 flight cancellations and over 7,400 delayed departures, Eurocontrol figures show. In addition, more than 2,000 passengers were delayed across 12 Ryanair flights on 20 August 2025 when Athens ATC suffered equipment failures. Strikes have also loomed in Italy, Spain and the Balearic Islands, and Belgian aviation has been affected on a monthly basis for much of the year by national protests.
‼French Air Traffic Control Strikes‼
— Ryanair Press Team (@RyanairPress) July 3, 2025
Latest update from Michael O’Leary: pic.twitter.com/QcKJhIZ6qf
Meanwhile, Europe’s ATC sector, splintered across 40 providers, has struggled to recruit to fill staffing gaps of up to 25% following the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when geopolitical forces, such as the war in Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, are putting pressure on flight routes.
It’s “chaotic,” Ryanair says, and as a result, the budget airline is urging passengers to take action against what it calls a “failing system” to complain to authorities. “Ryanair has long campaigned for reform of EU air traffic controllers and is calling on all passengers to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control ruined your flight’ website and use the email template to complain directly to the Transport Secretary and demand reform of air traffic controllers,” the statement said.
Ursula von "Derlayed-Again" must protect overflights during national ATC strikes or QUIT! @PhilippeTabarot @vonderleyen pic.twitter.com/TFVEXu2x3F
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) July 17, 2025
Such reform from the European Commission, Ryanair argues, could drive improvement in the sector. But, despite expressing commitment “to delivering competitiveness and efficiency in Europe”, the Commission “continues to allow repeated ATC mismanagement to disrupt flights and passengers,” a spokesperson said, punning on the European Commission President’s name to ask: “When will Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’ and the EU Commission step up and take action to reform EU ATC and protect passengers from repeated ATC disruptions like this?”
