Ryanair calls on French government to fix future flight delay risks

Ryanair has called on the French government to urgently reform its air traffic control (ATC) following a Senate report warning of future flight delay risks.

The report by Senator Vincent Capo-Canellas found that France’s ATC provider, DSNA, will be unable to cope with increasing traffic growth without urgent reform.

Eurocontrol, a European air traffic management body, suggests that France will not be able to meet flight demand by 2030 as average delays per flight approach four minutes.

It adds that French ATC delays could cost airlines up to €1.7bn (£1.45bn) per year by 2035, with 30 per cent of French controllers due to retire that same year.

Without reform, “a portion of flights will inevitably and structurally have to be cancelled”, said the report.

In response, Ryanair, Europe's largest airline group, has urged the French government and European Commission to “urgently protect overflights during French ATC strikes” as passengers travelling between other EU countries “suffer unnecessary delays”.

According to the airline, French ATC productivity is below the EU average, with training taking approximately five years per controller compared to less than two years in the UK and Ireland.

Suggested reforms by Ryanair include uncapped recruitment of ATC controllers until 2030 and guaranteed protection for overflights during French ATC strikes.

Ryanair’s chief operations officer, Neal McMahon, called the report a “management failure” by the French ATC.

McMahon said: “This French Senate report confirms what airlines and passengers have known for years – French ATC Europe’s weakest link: woefully mismanaged, understaffed, underproductive and still using technology that belongs in a museum.

“It is extraordinary that France is still using paper flight strips and outdated radio systems while its so-called modernisation programme is more than a decade behind schedule.”

He added: “France cannot be allowed to become the permanent bottleneck of European airspace because of years of ATC mismanagement. Europe’s aviation network should not be held hostage by DSNA’s failure to recruit, modernise and improve productivity.

“The time for excuses is over. The time for reform is now.”

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