An EU-wide online ‘Keep Europe’s Skies Open’ petition is being launched by Ryanair in a protest against further strike action by air traffic control unions.
It comes as French air traffic controllers are due to walk out from tomorrow.
The last closure of French air space for two days in April forced Europe’s airlines to cancel over 3,600 flights and disrupted more than 500,000 travellers.
Ryanair hopes to attract one million signatures from people across Europe and will present the petition to Brussels and urge the EU Commission and the EU Parliament to finally take action.
The low-cost carrier’s chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said: “It’s unacceptable that Europe’s consumers repeatedly have their holiday and travel plans disrupted or cancelled by the selfish actions of ATC unions every summer, who use strikes as a first weapon rather than a last resort.
“French ATC unions will again stage three further days of strikes this week, which will impact hundreds of thousands of European consumers.
“It is particularly reprehensible that these strikes are taking place at the height of the peak summer season, deliberately targeting holidaymakers and families.
“Today we have launched this keepeuropeskiesopen.com website where consumers can support our online petition calling on the European Commission and European Parliament to either remove the ATC unions’ right to strike, or allow other European ATCs to operate French or Spanish airspace during these repeated strikes.”
He added: “It’s time the Commission and parliament took action to prevent Europe’s families and ordinary air travellers having their hard earned holidays or travel plans regularly disrupted by these ATC unions closing the skies over Europe.
“If the EU won’t listen to the airlines, perhaps they’ll listen to Europe’s citizens.”