Ryanair has repeated condemnation of the European Union’s failure to tackle the impact of French air traffic control strikes as it revealed that more than 627,000 passengers’ flights have been cancelled over three months.
Europe’s largest no-frills carrier reiterated an attack on EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on the 38th day of French ATC strikes this year.
Ryanair has demanded that flights that over-fly France should be managed by controllers from other countries and that more notice should be given of walkouts while French internal flights remain unaffected.
The airline said in a statement: “French unions can exercise their right to strike without being allowed to close the entire upper French airspace, as ATC unions in Spain, Italy and Greece avoid by protecting overflights.
“It is completely disproportionate and unfair that internal French flights are protected under minimum services legislation, but EU citizens/visitors’ overflights from Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland are cancelled.”
A spokesperson added: “Today, French ATC are striking for the 38th day in just three months with thousands more EU passengers having their flights to see friends and family unfairly cancelled at short notice.
“While we have no difficulty with French unions exercising their right to strike, we do expect president von der Leyen to do her job and defend and protect EU citizens/visitors’ fundamental right to the freedom of movement, which she and her commissioners have inexplicably failed to do.
“It is completely disproportionate and unfair that the French government can use minimum services legislation to protect internal French flights but force the cancellation of flights over France.
“The EU’s single market for air travel and overflights should not be repeatedly cancelled because the EU Commission fails to take action.”