Ryanair claims French airport strikers wanted ‘time off’ amid travel chaos
Ryanair warns summer travel chaos could strike again
- Ryanair has accused French air traffic control staff of taking "recreational" time off during strikes, which severely disrupted air travel earlier this summer.
- A French air traffic control walkout in early July affected one million airline passengers, leading to nearly 3,000 flight cancellations and over 7,400 delays across Europe.
- Ryanair claimed some French controllers extended their strike or called in sick over the subsequent weekend to gain extra leave, causing further cancellations.
- The airline expressed concern that similar industrial action and sickness claims could continue throughout the summer, potentially causing more travel chaos during school holidays.
- Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, criticised the EU Commission for not protecting overflights, arguing that 90 per cent of cancellations could have been avoided if they had intervened.