Ryanair calls on EC to stop French ATC strikes

10-6-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Ryanair, Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), today (10 June) called on the EU Commission to prevent thousands of Europe’s citizens having their flights cancelled or delayed, by tiny numbers of French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike this week, (from Tuesday 11th to Thursday 13th June).

Ryanair regrets that the French Air Traffic Control strike will result in 102 flights to/from France being cancelled on Tuesday (11th June) and other flights travelling through French airspace may also be at risk of disruption.

Ryanair condemned the EU Commission’s continuing failure to act on its repeated call for the removal of the right to strike from Europe’s air traffic controllers, who are again attempting to blackmail Europe’s passengers with strikes and urged the EU and French Government to intervene to prevent further cancellations and delays on Wednesday and Thursday.

Ryanair pointed out that many of Europe’s police forces and army personnel are not allowed to strike, while air traffic controllers in the USA are also prevented by law from striking, which means that the skies over the US cannot be closed or hijacked by ATC strikes or work to rule. The European Commission should apply similar no strike rules here in Europe.

Affected passengers will be contacted by email and passengers should log onto www.ryanair.com for the latest flight information. (Updates regarding any disruptions to Wednesday’s flight operations will be posted on www.ryanair.com on Tuesday.)

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said:

“It is unacceptable that the skies over Europe are repeatedly closed or flights are delayed by the unjustified strike action of tiny numbers of air traffic controllers. These public servants are among the most overpaid and protected in Europe and yet they repeatedly opt for the strike weapon as a first, rather than a last resort.

We are into the peak summer season in Europe and already the French Air Traffic Controllers are engaged in strike action, which will result in 102 Ryanair flights being cancelled on Tuesday, with many others at risk of disruption.

The solution to this problem is simple: remove their right to strike in exactly the same way that Air Traffic Controllers in the USA are prevented by law from striking. Until then, it is up to the EU Commission and French Government to ensure there are no further cancellations on Wednesday and Thursday as a result of these unwarranted strikes.”

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