IAG, Ryanair and easyJet call on Brussels to prevent airspace meltdown

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Michael O’Leary, chief executive officer of Ryanair Holdings Plc

Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, said Europe’s airways are “near meltdown” and called on France to allow aircraft to fly above the country during strikes.

“When Greece and Italy have ATC strikes, overflights continue as normal. Why won’t France do the same?” he said in the statement.

O’Leary also accused air traffic controllers of not being staffed well enough to cope, especially when strikes take place.

“ATC providers are hiding behind adverse weather and euphemisms such as ‘capacity restrictions’ when the truth is they are not rostering enough air traffic controllers,” he said.

O’Leary said Europe’s governments and the EU Commission needed to step in, a sentiment echoed in the statement by Wizz Air’s Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi.

“Addressing this issue must be a priority for the European authorities to ensure European citizens and businesses are no longer held hostage to national industrial relations issues,” Varadi said.

In response, EU Commission spokesperson Enrico Brivio said in a press conference Tuesday that it was not for the commission to comment specifically on industrial disputes involving individual airlines.

He added however that while the ability to strike was a fundamental right for workers, it was clear that delays were negatively impacting passengers and the whole EU economy.