Ryanair Calls For Urgent Action To Prevent Thousands Of Flight Cancellations Amid French Atc Strikes

Published on September 13, 2025

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has raised siren complete nan imaginable for wide flight cancellations during nan upcoming French Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes connected September 17-18, 2025. The hose is urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to return urgent action to protect overflights during these two days of business action successful France. Ryanair warns that 700 flights could beryllium canceled, affecting 125,000 passengers, and disrupting some business and tourism recreation crossed nan continent.

Ryanair’s Call for Action to Prevent Cancellations

In a connection released connected September 12, 2025, Ryanair called connected President von der Leyen to take responsibility and implement reforms to debar important disruptions to aerial travel. The hose has already been informed that nan French ATC strikes will apt origin delays and cancellations, particularly for flights that walk complete French airspace, but do not onshore successful France. Ryanair has highlighted nan urgent request for reforms that protect overflights during nationalist ATC strikes, arsenic portion of nan Single Market Competence overseen by nan EU.

Over nan past two years, Ryanair, alongside different manufacture stakeholders, has called for nan separation of precocious airspace and for Eurocontrol to negociate overflights during nationalist ATC disruptions. Ryanair insists that overflights should beryllium protected arsenic portion of nan EU’s Single Market, which is captious for ensuring nan soft cognition of Europe’s aerial services. According to Ryanair, these measures would forestall unnecessary flight cancellations and guarantee nan continued cognition of European aerial travel without disruptions owed to strikes by a mini group of French ATC staff.

ATC Strikes and nan Impact connected European Airlines

ATC strikes successful France person historically led to disruptions successful European aerial traffic, and this latest business action is expected to travel a akin pattern. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary pointed retired that European airlines person already been struggling pinch ATC inefficiencies and nan high cost of aerial recreation successful nan region. Despite promises from nan European Commission to reside nan issues outlined successful nan Draghi Report of September 2024, which highlighted nan multi-billion cost of ATC inefficiencies, little action has been taken complete nan past 12 months to betterment nan system.

The business worsened successful 2023 and 2024 erstwhile European aerial traffic was impacted by disruptions, causing delays to flights, which led to increased rider costs, peculiarly during highest recreation seasons. Ryanair’s plea reflects increasing vexation wrong nan industry, arsenic nan hose calls for two effective reforms:

1. Fully staffing nationalist ATC services for nan first activity of morning flights.
2. Protecting overflights during national ATC strikes, arsenic these flights do not require landing astatine French airports but still walk done French airspace.

Ryanair claims that by adopting these elemental reforms, Europe’s airlines could dramatically amended operational ratio and forestall unnecessary formation cancellations, benefiting airlines, passengers, and tourism arsenic a whole.

The Broader Impact connected Business and Tourism Travel

The imaginable disruption from nan French ATC strikes, scheduled during an important business recreation period successful September, could person important consequences for some business and leisure travelers. As European Union regulations should protect nan single market, it is important that Ryanair and different airlines are allowed to run without interference from nationalist ATC strikes.

Business travelers flying crossed Europe could look awesome disruptions, particularly those walking for important meetings, conferences, and events. In particular, key firm travelers often trust connected timely and businesslike aerial recreation to scope business destinations. The hold aliases cancellation of flights successful specified a important play could consequence successful financial losses and missed opportunities for businesses that dangle connected effective aerial travel.

For tourists, particularly those readying to recreation for leisure during nan fall vacation season, formation disruptions would lead to sizeable frustration, delaying their plans aliases forcing them to rebook flights astatine higher costs. This could lead to missed holidays aliases important recreation delays, putting other unit connected airlines and airports to accommodate displaced passengers.

Quick Tips for Travelers Amid nan Strike Concerns

• Stay Updated: Travelers should show their formation position pinch Ryanair and different affected airlines, arsenic real-time updates will beryllium captious to avoiding disruptions.
• Consider Alternative Routes: For those pinch elasticity successful recreation plans, it whitethorn beryllium wise to cheque for flights that do not walk complete French airspace to debar imaginable cancellations.
• Prepare for Delays: If you are flying during nan 17-18 September period, guarantee you person buffer time for recreation delays aliases cancellations.
• Check Airline Policies: Look for compensation and rebooking options successful lawsuit your formation is canceled, arsenic airlines whitethorn connection alternate routes.
• Contact Travel Insurance Providers: Ensure you are covered for immoderate imaginable cancellations aliases delays, particularly if you are walking during engaged periods.

Key Points astatine a Glance

• 700 Flights Cancelled: Ryanair whitethorn beryllium forced to cancel up to 700 flights during nan French ATC strikes, affecting 125,000 passengers.
• Protection for Overflights: Ryanair calls for nan EU Commission to enactment and protect overflights during nationalist strikes.
• Two Reforms Proposed: Ryanair advocates for afloat staffing ATC services for greeting flights and protecting overflights during strikes.
• Business and Tourist Impact: The ATC strikes will origin awesome disruptions for business and tourism travel, starring to formation delays and cancellations.
• Travel Tips: Stay updated connected formation status, see alternate routes, and cheque for compensation aliases rebooking options.

Source: corporate.ryanair.com