Irish no-frills airline, Ryanair, has warned over long delays at airports in Mallorca and across Europe this summer because of problems with European air traffic control.
Ryanair warned that air traffic control (ATC) delays will now be even worse this summer as the European Commission and governments have taken “no action to fix their shoddy ATC services." The airline issued a ‘league of delays’ with France the worst culprit, followed by Spain, Germany, Portugal and the UK.
“While ATC delays soared in 2024, ATC fees to airlines and passengers rose by double the rate of inflation - up 35% since Covid,” the carrier said in a statement.
Group chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “Our ATC ‘league of delays’ exposes Europe’s worst ATCs for delays due to mismanagement and staff shortages from January to May 2025.
“We will hold EU transport ministers responsible for allowing such unnecessary and avoidable ATC delays to repeatedly occur.”
He said that national ATCs are made aware of airline schedules almost 12 months in advance, “so there is no reason for them not to adequately staff up to manage this traffic”.