BUDGET airline Ryanair says Spain’s state-run Enaire air traffic control network is now worse than its French equivalent and has demanded urgent measures from the government.
It’s the latest attack on Spain after the carrier’s long-running campaign against ‘excessive’ regional airport taxes which saw it pull out of several airports.
It says that Spanish ATC delays have increased by 28% compared to last year, with more than 32,600 Ryanair flights delayed- affecting six million passengers.
READ MORE:
- Ryanair weighs €500 million investment in Sevilla engine maintenance hub
- These are the worst airports in Spain for EES border delays, according to Ryanair
- Ryanair posts record profits after hiking fares by 10% and threatens to slash flights to regional airports in Spain
Ryanair claims that 10% of Ryanair flights operating in Spain’s airspace have been delayed due to Spanish ATC.
The company’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, said: “Spain has achieved something that we thought impossible. It has overtaken France to become the worst ATC provider in Europe.”
Area control centres (ACCs) in Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla continue to be among the worst-performing ATC centres in Europe due to ‘chronic staff shortages’ and ‘insufficient capacity planning’, according to Ryanair.
Neal McMahon said: “The traffic was not unexpected and the summer schedule was no surprise.”
“Enaire has failed to hire, plan and deploy enough controllers to manage demand,” he continued.
“The clearest proof of this failure is that Eurocontrol warns that it will be necessary to introduce special measures in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville to face the rest of the summer.”
“This comes after ENAIRE claimed that its ’70 measures’ programme would solve the problem,” he stated.
“Spain now leads the European ATC delay rankings and is hurting the travel plans of millions of passengers, as well as damaging Spain’s reputation as one of Europe’s leading tourism markets.”
McMahon concluded: “The Spanish government must stop accepting excuses from Enaire and demand urgent measures: more controllers, better shift planning, adequate staffing at the main ACCs and airports, and measurable reductions in delays.”
“The Spanish tourism industry, passengers and airlines deserve results, not more Enaire propaganda.”
Ryanair’s attacks on Enaire are nothing new, with criticism last autumn over delays up to that point for five million passengers in 2025.
There has been no response to the airline’s new comments, but last year Enaire pointed out a substantial increase in air traffic controller numbers since 2019 with recruitment in its ‘final stages’ for 150 extra positions.
Click here to read more Travel News from The Olive Press.
