Air Traffic Controller Slams Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary Over ‘Shameful’ Trolling Of Their Profession

An Air Traffic Controller has hit back at Michael O’Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, amidst accusations from the budget carrier that Europe’s stretched air traffic control services have ruined the flights of more than 30 million passengers so far this year.

“I would like to inform you that we, European Air Traffic Controllers, have [had] enough of O’Leary’s bashing and trolling of our profession,” the controller wrote in an open post on a pilot’s message board and directed at Ryanair aircrew.

“We know what kind of leaflets you are handing out to your passengers, we know how your company is sending them, and we are well aware of what foul language O’Leary is using in conjunction with our profession and our industry,” the post continued.

The air traffic controller has called out a special website Ryanair has created called ‘ATC Ruined Our Holiday‘, which lays the blame for many flight delays and cancellations at Europe’s “mismanaged and short-staffed” ATC service.

But the air traffic controller says O’Leary’s take on “soaring” ATC delays doesn’t tell the full story and is painting a far too simplistic picture of what is actually happening.

“Our duty is to ensure safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of traffic. We are busting our asses every day to achieve that,” the controller wrote. “We take those insults from your company to our hearts. Traffic numbers are soaring, and military conflicts have derailed all usual and normal flows of traffic.”

The controller added: “Many ATC units are working beyond designed limits, which are in place to ensure maximum safety.”

And while ATC services across Europe are hiring new staff “like crazy” to keep up with demand, the controller points out that training workers is a time-consuming process that can’t be rushed – getting a new controller up to speed can take 2-3 years, and shortcuts just aren’t possible.

While the controller admits that ATC-related issues have been responsible for nearly a quarter of all delays, figures compiled by Eurocontrol, the official air traffic management agency for Europe, reveal that weather is the main cause of delays and cancellations, with 66% of all delays attributed to bad weather.

“How would you feel if the roles were reversed and you were blamed for everything?” the controller added. “We are proud of our profession and we are doing everything we can to do it as efficiently as humanly possible.”

Earlier this month, Ryanair doubled down on its campaign against ATC mismanagement, claiming that 30 million passengers had faced lengthy delays as a result of ATC issues.

According to Ryanair’s own figures, ATC delays are worst in France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Greece. The airline claims this is all down to their respective governments refusing to ensure they are properly staffed.

Of particular concern to Ryanair are ATC staff shortages at the very start of the delay – a period that the airline industry refers to as the First Wave, when planes start departing on their first flights of the delay.

For short-haul operators like Ryanair, it’s imperative that their early morning flights depart on time, as any delay will start snowballing into bigger delays as the day progresses.

One way that Ryanair would like the European Commission to tackle these First Wave delays is by fining governments that regularly have ATC staffing shortages during the morning rush.

ATC shortages are, undoubtedly, a problem. It’s no secret that some ATC services have struggled to recruit and train enough staff for the demand that exists, but there’s also a role for airlines to play.

Some airlines have realized they can’t pack their schedules so tight that the slightest hiccup, whether that be bad weather, airport capacity, or ATC staffing shortages, causes their entire operation to fall apart, and the delays and cancellations start piling up.