Air traffic strikes cost €18bn
Air traffic control strikes and staff shortages cost the EU economy €17.6bn in 2018 in the worst year of delays for air passengers in nearly a decade, industry association Airlines for Europe has said.
Air traffic control industrial action, a lack of controllers, or other structural issues were responsible for over 75% of delays, with the number of EU airline passengers affected up 26% on the previous year to 334m, said the industry body, citing Eurocontrol data.
“Progress on aviation has stalled and we are going backwards,” Ryanair chief executive and Airlines for Europe chairman Michael O’Leary said in a statement which outlined steps to tackle the issue.
“The EU must tackle inefficient air traffic control monopolies through internationalisation of airspace, introduction of competition between air traffic control providers, and quicker delivery and flexible deployment of air traffic controllers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ryanair is in early discussions with Airbus about a potential order for 100 A321 aircraft for its recently acquired subsidiary, Laudamotion.
For now the company is focusing on leased older aircraft, said Mr O’Leary.
Ryanair is also interested in the latest Boeing narrow-body model— the 737 MAX 10 — for its all-Boeing main fleet “at the right price”, but those conditions do not exist currently, he said.
Any order of Airbus A321s for Austrian unit Laudamotion would most likely “not include fewer than 100 aircraft” including 50 firm orders and 50 options, Mr O’Leary said on the sidelines of an airlines conference in Brussels.
Chief executives of Airlines for Europe members, including Aer Lingus and British Airways owner IAG, Easyjet, Lufthansa, as well as Ryanair, met yesterday for their annual meeting in Brussels, where they also called for revised regulations on passenger rights and airport charges.
Airlines for Europe said operational issues such as air traffic control strikes had led to one million tonnes of avoidable CO2 emissions since 2014.
The summit was held a day after a study funded by investors said airlines are doing too little in the fight against global warming.
