In a statement released on 9 July, the airline said the French Senate's report found that France's air traffic control system had become "the worst in Europe", with delays increasing by around 60% compared with 2019. Ryanair also said the report estimated those delays would cost airlines around €800 million in 2025. The low-cost carrier argues that the European Commission has spent years discussing ways to improve the competitiveness of European aviation without introducing meaningful reforms to reduce delays.

According to Ryanair, airlines have repeatedly asked the Commission to require air traffic control providers to have enough staff available for the first wave of departures each morning. The airline is also calling for flights that simply pass through a country's airspace to be protected during national air traffic control strikes, saying this would prevent disruption from spreading across Europe.

The issue is also important for travellers flying to and from Portugal. Even when flights do not land in France, many routes cross French airspace, meaning delays or industrial action there can have a knock-on effect across much of Europe, especially during the busy summer season.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the Commission had failed to act despite repeated requests from airlines. He accused Brussels of delaying reforms that the industry believes would improve punctuality and reduce disruption for passengers. The latest comments come as debate continues over the Single European Sky initiative, an EU project designed to modernise the way European airspace is managed. The European Commission has long argued that a more integrated system would reduce delays, lower fuel consumption and cut emissions by allowing aircraft to fly more direct routes. However, progress has been slowed by disagreements between member states over how air traffic control should be organised.

Air traffic control delays have become an increasingly common issue across Europe in recent summers, with airlines pointing to staff shortages, rising traffic levels and industrial action as some of the main causes. France has often been at the centre of the disruption because of its strategic position in European airspace.

While Ryanair has again placed the blame on the European Commission, the broader challenge of reforming Europe's fragmented air traffic control network has been under discussion for years and remains one of the aviation industry's biggest unresolved issues.