RYANAIR CALLS ON URSULA VON “DERLAYED-AGAIN” TO URGENTLY REFORM EU ATC OR QUIT AS FIRST TWO DAYS OF BELGRADE ATC STRIKES (20-21 AUG) DELAY 99 RYANAIR FLIGHTS DISRUPTING OVER[...]

Ryanair, Europe's No.1 airline, today (Fri, 22 Aug) called on EU Commission President, Ursula von "Derlayed-Again", to urgently reform Europe's broken ATC system and protect overflights after 99 flights were delayed, disrupting 17,800 passengers, during the first two days (20-21 Aug) of Belgrade ATC's 40-day strike.

Earlier this week, Belgrade ATC announced a 40-day strike, starting from Wed, 20 Aug. In addition to flights to/from Serbia being delayed, this strike will also disrupt overflights. This is because Serbia's minimum service laws do not protect overflights during national ATC strikes, unlike in other EU countries such as Italy, Spain, and Greece. As a result, even though it's Serbian ATC that are striking, most disrupted passengers are not even flying to/from Serbia but just overflying Serbian airspace en route to their destination (e.g., UK - Turkey, Poland - Greece, etc.).

Ryanair calls on Ursula von "Derlayed-Again" to take urgent action to reform EU ATC services by;

1.) ensuring that ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, and

2.) protecting overflights during national ATC strikes.

These two simple reforms would eliminate 90% of all ATC delays and protect EU passengers from repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions. Ryanair asks EU passengers to visit the 'Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight' webpage and demand that Ursula von "Derlayed-Again" and the EU Commission take urgent action to reform EU ATC services and avoid any further avoidable ATC disruptions this summer.

Ryanair's Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said:

"It is unacceptable that passengers not even flying to/from Serbia but are simply overflying Serbian airspace en route to their destination are being forced to suffer unnecessary disruption as a result of Serbian ATC strikes. This is because Serbia do not protect overflights during national ATC strikes, like they do in Italy, Spain, and Greece. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.

Ryanair calls on Ursula von "Derlayed-Again" to take urgent action to reform EU ATC services by 1.) ensuring that ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, and 2.) protecting overflights during national ATC strikes. These two straight forward reforms would eliminate 90% of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions."