Yahoo Finance French strikes are wrecking travel across Europe, says Ryanair
Brussels must pass a law that will stop striking French air traffic controllers from bringing flights across Europe to a standstill, Ryanair has said as it stepped up a campaign for action.
Europe’s biggest airline is asking customers to sign a petition urging the European Commission to keep the skies open as France grapples with a wave of industrial action.
French law dictates that domestic flights must be able to continue during strikes by air traffic controllers. International flights that enter French airspace are not similarly protected, however – meaning that a walkout in the country can effectively ground planes across the whole continent.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, said that French air traffic control had asked the budget airline to cancel 60 flights on Wednesday alone.
The carrier has launched a media blitz to highlight that 1 million passengers have been affected by disruption so far this year.
Mr O’Leary wants Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission's president, to force France to protect so-called “overflights” during air traffic controller strikes, as is the case with Greece and Italy.
He said: “The French are going to get worse and worse for the next three and four months. People are really f------ p----- off with flights getting cancelled left, right and centre because the French are on strike. They're not going to France, it’s the overflights that are taking all the cancellations.
“The French use local minimum service laws to protect the French flights. And it’s the Germans, the Spanish and the Italians, the Irish and British – we have our flights cancelled. It’s bull----.
“And if you had anybody competent in the European Commission they would probably take action.
“If the French look to blockade the ports, the Europeans go: ‘Oh, they are protecting the single market.’ On Brexit: ‘Oh, we must protect the single market.’ Yet the French close [the skies] down? We've had 14 air traffic controller strikes in the first three months of this year already because they don't like Macron’s pension reforms.”
Mr O’Leary said he would “point the finger” at Ms von der Leyen because the transport commissioner Adina Vălean is a “waste of space”.
“[She] doesn’t want to have a fight with anybody; has no vision for what needs to happen in Europe.
“It’s von der Leyen that needs to be taking action on this. And if we don't push the agenda, we will just continue to limp along for the next few couple of years with the French folk closing the skies over Europe on a regular basis. It's not acceptable.
“By all means, you have the right to strike. But if you want to strike, cancel the French flights. Let them take the delays.”
Mr O'Leary was among a number of airline leaders also speaking at the A4E conference in Brussels.
They stepped up demands for airspace above Europe to be reformed. It is currently separated along national lines, which airline bosses say increases delays.
The European Commission has been working for years on a long-delayed reform called Single European Sky but political analysts say it is being held up by individual nations worried about the impact on jobs at national control centres.
Ms Valean told the conference she hoped for some progress on the topic later this year.
It comes as strikes across Europe look to play havoc with holiday plans this Easter and Summer, with action also taking place in Germany, Spain and Italy.
In Spain, long-running strikes at some of its busiest airports promise to run into the Easter break, with baggage handlers vowing to continue industrial action until mid-April.
Italy will see its unionised airport workers strike over pay and working conditions on the afternoon of 2 April, while localised airport strikes are also planned in April. Earlier this week, the majority of flights were cancelled from Germany’s biggest airports, including Munich and Frankfurt, after its main transport unions went on strike over pay.
The unions have confirmed that they will not strike over the Easter break but there is the option of further action.
