Overview
- CEO Michael O’Leary says French air traffic controllers could take industrial action in May or June, warning of weekend no‑shows that would trigger so‑called capacity restrictions.
- He urges the EU to fine under‑staffed air traffic control providers for missed first‑wave morning shifts, plus to protect overflights that cross France without landing.
- Eurocontrol has told air navigation service providers to prioritize the day’s first rotations to avoid knock‑on delays, after finding France accounted for 31% of last summer’s ATC‑related delays.
- Last summer’s French ATC strikes led to hundreds of Ryanair cancellations, more than one million passengers affected, and roughly 3,713 flights delayed on each strike day, according to reports.
- Eurocontrol lists pressure points for 2026 that include Brest, Marseille and Reims in France along with the Canary Islands, Madrid, Seville, Athens, Lisbon and London.