Budget carrier Ryanair has issued a strongly worded statement after over 100 flights were cancelled at short notice, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The airline on Tuesday, June 2, condemned what it labelled an 'illegal wildcat' strike by Belgian air traffic controllers.
Mass Disruption for Passengers
The strike caused 100 Ryanair flights to and from Charleroi and Zaventem airports to be cancelled with little warning, disrupting the travel plans of nearly 20,000 passengers, the airline said. In a statement, Ryanair expressed its frustration: 'It is unacceptable that passengers travelling to/from Belgium today are suffering flight cancellations and delays as a result of a tiny number of Belgian air traffic controllers’ decision to strike with zero notice given to airlines who pay millions of euros annually for ATC services, which have been withdrawn today without any prior notice.'
Ryanair's Demands
The airline insisted that if Belgian ATC controllers must go on strike, they should provide fair and sufficient notice – at least 24 hours – so that airlines can reorganise flights and protect passengers, many of whom are travelling on holidays with young families, from unnecessary cancellations. Ryanair's Chief Executive Officer Michael O'Leary said: 'While we respect the right to strike, it is unacceptable that airlines were given zero notice of today’s Belgian ATC strike.' He added that if a strike must occur, fair notice should be provided to airlines to enable them to reorganise schedules and minimise the impact on people 'who pay for these high priced but low service ATC.'
Further Disruption Looming
Ryanair travellers could face additional disruption on Wednesday, June 3, due to a separate general strike in Portugal. It has been reported that around 500 flights from various airlines could be affected. Rival EasyJet has warned of possible disruption for passengers on the day, while Ryanair has stated it will operate as normal. This will be the second time Portugal has been hit by a general strike in recent months, in protest at labour reforms planned by the Portuguese government. The disruption is likely to affect many areas of the country.
