HOLIDAYMAKERS flying Ryanair this summer could face a travel nightmare, with the airline warning delays are set to skyrocket by ‘up to 20%’ – and it’s all down to what it calls a ‘shocking’ shortage of air traffic controllers across Europe.
The Irish budget carrier has taken the unprecedented step of launching a ‘public campaign’ titled Air traffic Control Ruined my Flight a bid to push national governments – including the UK and Spain’s – to urgently tackle staffing shortfalls in airport control towers.
In a fiery statement, Ryanair took aim at Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente, calling on him to ‘get serious’ and hire more air traffic control staff to avoid a summer of chaos.
Spain has the second worst delays in Europe, only behind France.
Ryanair has reported that it has experienced 11,576 flight delays, which have affected over 2,000,000 passengers, so far in 2025.
The airline blames chronic staff shortages at control towers – a situation it claims has been ‘ignored’ by officials despite repeated warnings.
The carrier, led by outspoken CEO Michael O’Leary, is urging fed-up fliers to flood government ministers across Europe – including in France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and the UK – with complaints. On its website the airline now directs passengers to write to ministers to demand immediate actions.
READ MORE
A spokesperson stated that this summer will be very challenging, not only for Ryanair, but also for all airlines in Europe. “Unless governments take action now, passengers will continue to suffer unnecessary delays.”
Ryanair has renewed calls for a ‘Single European Sky’ – a long-delayed EU project that would create a centralised air traffic control body. At present, each country is responsible for its own airspace. This results in staffing imbalances, and widespread inefficiency.
Enaire, the Spanish air traffic manager, has reacted to these claims and insisted that there is no crisis of staffing. The state-run body – which oversees 22% of Europe’s air traffic – says delays caused by staff shortages accounted for just 11% of the total last year, and insists controller numbers have actually risen since the pandemic.
Industry insiders say air traffic control issues are currently the third-biggest cause of flight disruption after bad weather and limited airport capacity – but they admit that, with record passenger numbers expected this year, even minor staffing gaps could cause major headaches.
Ryanair claims 2024 will be a record-breaking year in terms of delays. If action is not taken quickly, 2025 may even be worse.
The airline claims air traffic across Europe has bounced back to near pre-Covid levels – yet controller staffing has lagged dangerously behind.
The airline reported that in April, it experienced a staggering 61% increase of delays when compared with the same month the previous year.