Ryanair Fires at Greek Government Over Air Traffic Control Failures

Ryanair has launched a fierce attack on the Greek government over repeated problems in the country’s air traffic control system. The latest failure, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, caused delays of up to three hours and affected 37 Ryanair flights, the airline said, disrupting travel for nearly 7,000 passengers.

Ryanair described the incident as the fourth serious failure in Greece’s air traffic control system over the past 12 months. It accused the government of failing to address weaknesses in infrastructure and funding, while passengers and airlines continue to pay higher charges for air traffic control services.

The airline said Greece’s ATC systems are outdated, inadequately funded and repeatedly breaking down. It also pointed to a recent financial contribution from the aviation industry to replace essential ATC equipment, arguing that the Greek state should normally have covered that cost.

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The European Commission must stop issuing press releases and start implementing reforms.

Ryanair stressed that Greece ranks among Europe’s busiest tourist destinations, making recurring failures in air traffic control particularly damaging. It also criticized the European Commission, saying that repeated ATC breakdowns across Europe continue despite talk of improving competitiveness and efficiency.

“The European Commission must stop issuing press releases and start implementing reforms,” Ryanair said. The company called for a modern, properly staffed and adequately funded air traffic control service, along with accountability for failures whose costs, it argued, are ultimately passed on to passengers. Ryanair operations director Neal McMahon described the Sept. 1 breakdown as “unacceptable and preventable.”

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Unacceptable and preventable.