Ryanair boss calls French strike a ‘scandal’, demands overflight measures

The boss of Ryanair on Wednesday said French air traffic control were a “scandal” and called for European Union measures to protect overflights.

Chief Executive Michael O’Leary told a news conference strikes carried out as part of a nationwide protest against French pension reforms were causing disruptions for thousands of passengers on busy routes, including from Britain to Spain.

The impact on Ryanair has been significant. The airline reports that, over the weekend, more than 25% of Ryanair’s 9,000 scheduled flights were delayed due to disruptions from French ATC. Additionally, 230 flights were canceled to comply with French ATC capacity restrictions – cancelations that affected some 41,000 passengers. “These repeated disruptions of EU overflights are unacceptable,” the airline said in a statement.