Ryanair air traffic control strike: Airline cancels 170 flights affecting 30,000 passengers due to ATC strike

Ryanair say they’ve been forced to cancel 170 flights - affecting 30,000 passengers due to a French air traffic control strike on July 3 and 4.

The airline says that as well as flights to and from France being cancelled, the strike will also affect all French overflights, with “most disrupted passengers not even flying to/from France but just overflying French airspace en route to their destination (e.g., UK - Greece, Spain - Ireland, etc.).

Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, said: “Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike. It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.

A Ryanair passenger plane taxis on the runway at Luton airport. | Leon Neal / Getty Images

“Ryanair calls on Ursula von der Leyen to take urgent action to reform EU ATC services by 1.) ensuring that ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, and 2.) protecting overflights during national ATC strikes. These 2 splendid reforms would eliminate 90% of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike.”