In calling for British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander to “urgently fix” the UK’s air traffic control (ATC) service, National Air Traffic Services (NATS), Ryanair has revealed that more than one million of its passengers have suffered flight delays due to ATC issues in the UK.
That number covered more than 5,700 Ryanair flights between the start of the year and the beginning of this month.
“Transport Ministers – like Heidi Alexander – are responsible for their national ATC services. They should be making sure that they are properly managed and staffed, particularly in peak Summer season, not presiding over repeated NATS ATC delays. Ryanair calls on its UK passengers to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and demand that Minister Alexander take action to properly staff NATS ATC services and avoid further unnecessary ATC delays,” Ryanair said in a statement.
Ryanair’s Director of Communications, Jade Kirwan, said: “It is unacceptable that NATS ATC mismanagement and staff shortages continue to cause disruption to UK flights and passengers. Already this year, more than 1 million Ryanair passengers – many of whom were travelling on holidays with young families – have suffered unnecessary and avoidable ATC delays, and all because Minister Alexander has not taken action to properly staff UK ATC services.
“Ryanair calls on all passengers to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and demand that their national Transport Minister – like Minister Alexander – take urgent action to fix their national ATC services and stop these needless ATC delays.”
