Ryanair has warned British travellers of a “huge issue” when flying to or over one European country, despite air traffic control strikes being held off. A French air traffic control union postponed its plans to start a 72-hour strike today, October 7, until further notice.
However, the budget airline warned that the threat of future cancellations and delays still looms in French airspace, which it said impacts British airlines the most due to its geographical proximity. In a social media call to action, Ryanair directed its customers to an online petition, which called to “keep EU skies open” by protecting overflights. It has so far gained more than 2.2 million signatures.
The airline described the postponement as “great (temporary) news” but said there was “still a huge issue that affects all passengers flying over French airspace”.
It stated that around 99 days of ATC strikes since 2023 had “forced airlines to cancel thousands of EU overflights”, and that French ATC strikes had delayed or cancelled the flights of over 1.2 million airline passengers.
The petition read: “It is unacceptable that France uses Min Service Legislation to protect French flights during these repeated ATC strikes, while overflights, none of which are operating to/from France, suffer all these cancellations.
“This is unfair. The EU must act now to protect overflights and the EU Single Market.”
Ryanair has repeatedly called on the EU Commission and Ursula von der Leyen to take action during French ATC strikes. Some countries, like Spain, Italy, and Greece, reportedly protect overflights during ATC strikes.
Its CEO Michael O’Leary previously said UK airlines are most impacted by flight cancellations during the strikes because of the geographic proximity to France.
France’s largest air traffic controllers’ union (SNCTA) had planned a 72-hour nationwide strike from October 7 until Friday, October 10.
The union said it had halted its strikes following agreements and the French prime minister’s postponement of the French finance bill parliamentary debate.