Can we go on a carefree holiday to Spain, Portugal or further south this summer? Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary predicts chaos due to expected strikes at air traffic control in France, as a result of which no planes are allowed over the country.
Enough is enough for O’Leary. He presented European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with a petition from 1.1 million customers of the airline to get free overflights over France.
Reason: the strike waves at the French air traffic controllers. This year alone, they have struck 57 times, which means that flights that go across the country to other destinations have to be postponed. “On an average strike day, 300 flights are affected every day,” says O’Leary. “That affects 100,000 passengers.”
Now a new strike is already planned for June 6 and 7 and it seems certain that there will also be strikes in the summer. “And then we don’t have any seats available to get people to their destination the following days,” predicts O’Leary.
Students are currently being trained as airport security staff (video):
Minimum regulation
According to Ryanair’s CEO, air traffic controllers can safely strike, but the consequences of their actions should be limited to national traffic. That means canceling national flights, but not international ones. Now the reverse is happening in France. There is a minimum regulation, but it only applies to flights within France. It is different in Spain, Italy and Greece. International flights are served there.
An additional problem with a strike by the French air traffic controllers is that they are also responsible for air traffic in a number of neighboring areas outside the French borders.
O’Leary and Ryanair now want the European Commission to take action to solve the ‘French problem’.
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2023-06-01 04:54:32
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