Airlines call on EU to put an end to strikes

EasyJet announced today that the recent strikes in Europe will cost it around £6 million in passenger compensation. Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: “The significant disruption caused to millions of passengers across Europe, however, demonstrates the urgent need for European governments and the European Commission to modernise Europe’s outdated system of air traffic control providers and to end the ongoing strike action.”

Ryanair is calling on the EU Commission to remove the ‘right to strike’ from air traffic controllers after its services were again hit by industrial action. It said strikes in Belgium, France and Spain this year have forced it to cancel 1,400 flights and delay over 12,000 other flights, disrupting over 2.5m passengers.

It is calling for the EU to change legislation to stop essential air transport services, such as ATC, from striking and reform the EU261 passenger rights legislation.It said it would now take legal action again Belgocontrol following the wildcat strikes in Belgium last Tuesday, which caused the cancellation of over 90 Ryanair flights, disrupting over 15,000 passengers.

Speaking in Brussels, Michael O’Leary said: “How many more times will Europe’s airlines and their passengers be disrupted by unnecessary airspace closures, strikes and work to rules before the EU Commission finally takes some action?

“Striking ATC staff are the modern equivalent of highwaymen. They don’t care about consumers, they don’t care about passengers, they repeatedly strike because they know they can shut down Europe’s skies and hold EU Governments and passengers to ransom. “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.”