October 8, 2010 - Ireland's low-cost airline, Ryanair, has called for the EU Commission to remove the ‘right to strike’ from essential air transport services such as ATC and to reform the EU261 passenger rights legislation which has again been shown to be unfit for purpose during last week’s ATC strikes in Belgium, France and Spain. 

So far in 2010, Ryanair has been forced to cancel 1,400 flights and delay over 12,000 other flights, disrupting over 2.5m passengers, as a direct result of Belgian, French and Spanish ATC strikes and work to rules. 

Ryanair sates that under EU261 regulations airlines suffer the costs of these disruptions without any recourse against those unions calling strikes or the EU Govts who own the ATCs and repeatedly allow European airspace to be closed.

“It is ridiculous that Belgian, French and Spanish ATC controllers can repeatedly strike without any financial penalty, while airlines suffer a ‘right to care’ to passengers and absorb the costs of these un-necessary disruptions. It is also unacceptable that Spanish Air Traffic Controllers, some of whom earn almost €1 million per year, continue to engage in strikes, go slows and work to rules, causing delays and misery for millions of European passengers all summer long.