Ryanair Urges EU to Act as Over 34,000 Flights Suffer 5,000 Hours of Delays Due to ATC Failures

International

Ryanair, Europe’s leading airline, has issued an urgent call to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU governments to immediately address the chronic underperformance of European air traffic control (ATC) services, following mass delays across the continent on Sunday, 1 June.

According to Ryanair, more than 34,000 flights experienced a combined 5,000 hours of ATC-related delays in a single day due to severe staffing shortages at key ATC centres across Europe.

Despite flight volumes still sitting 5% below pre-Covid levels, 2024 marked the worst year on record for ATC disruptions. With the summer season now underway, Ryanair warns that 2025 could be even worse unless urgent reforms are implemented.

A Ryanair spokesperson stated:

“As we enter peak summer, it is unacceptable that passengers continue to face avoidable ATC delays due to chronic understaffing and poor planning. Ursula von der Leyen and her EU Commission have failed to act, allowing travel chaos to persist. Sunday’s disastrous performance highlights the urgent need for intervention.”

To increase pressure, Ryanair has launched an “ATC League of Shame”, spotlighting the worst-performing ATC providers across Europe and calling on national transport ministers to be held accountable for repeated mismanagement and lack of staffing.

The airline demands two immediate reforms:

· Proper staffing of all European ATC centres, especially during peak travel hours.

· Protection of overflights during national ATC strikes, to prevent knock-on effects across the continent.

Ryanair points out that ATC providers have access to airline schedules nearly a year in advance, making staff shortages particularly inexcusable. Morning delays, in particular, trigger cascading disruptions that affect operations for the rest of the day.

Passengers affected by delays are encouraged to visit Ryanair’s ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage, where a template email is provided to help them contact their national transport minister and demand immediate action.

“Enough is enough,” the spokesperson added. “Unless the EU acts now, summer 2025 will be remembered for travel disruption that was entirely preventable.”