Athens, Greece (20 August 2025)
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, has renewed its call for sweeping reforms across the EU’s air traffic control (ATC) system, following a disruptive equipment failure at Athens ATC Centre on Wednesday, 20 August 2025, which resulted in delays to 12 of its flights and impacted over 2,000 passengers (Ryanair Corporate).
Cumulative Impact: A Major Wake-Up Call
Since the start of 2025 (1 January – 20 August), Ryanair reports that more than 5,000 flights and over 900,000 passengers have suffered unfair delays attributed to ATC mismanagement and staffing issues in Greece, placing the country as the 5th worst-performing ATC service in Europe.
Ryanair’s Scathing Reproach of the European Commission
In its public statement, Ryanair lambasted the European Commission—mocking European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as “Derlayed‑Again” for failing to deliver efficiency and competitiveness in Europe’s airspace management.
“It is unacceptable that passengers continue to suffer ATC disruptions…now, another equipment failure today (20 Aug), this time in Athens…” said a Ryanair spokesperson, urging the Commission to act decisively.
Beyond public criticism, Ryanair has launched a campaign encouraging affected passengers to voice their concerns directly. Through its “Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight” portal, the airline provides a template to email Transport Ministers and demand ATC reform.
Europe’s ATC System Under Pressure
This incident is not isolated. Staff shortages, infrastructure aging, and fragmented systems, split across dozens of national providers, have rendered the EU ATC network fragile. For instance, recent French ATC strikes in July disrupted nearly 3,000 flights and affected over 1 million passengers, stressing the urgency for European-wide resilience and coordination (Travel Tomorrow).
Travel Tomorrow even cited Eurocontrol data placing Greece second in Europe for flight delays in early August due to ATC issues, further underscoring the regional scale of the problem.