Irish budget airline Ryanair (FR/RYR) has called on the UK, Irish, Italian and Spanish Governments to protect flights that fly over French airspace during the ATC strikes which have again led to 100s of cancelled flights.
The French Government has used minimum service legislation to protect French flights and French citizens during the strikes but overflights arent protected leading to severe disruption.
Ryanair has previously called upon the EU Commission to protect Europe’s single market for air travel but they have failed to do this and now the airline is calling on the individual Govts to protect their citizens and their flight schedules by putting pressure on the French government to ensure that overflights across France are “no longer hijacked by tiny French ATC unions” who close the skies over France for passengers.
Pro-EU Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said: “We’re fed up with these repeated flight disruptions and cancellations caused by tiny French ATC unions, and the French Govt policy of using minimum services to protect French flights for French citizens while disrupting thousands of flights overflying France for thousands of EU citizens who are not travelling to/from France.
“The EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen continues to stand idly by while Europe’s single market for air travel is wrecked again and again by these tiny French ATC unions, and if the EU Commission won’t act to protect its citizens, then national Govt must intervene.”
The latest French Air Traffic Controller strike is taking place across 28th 29th and 30th of September.