Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (28 Aug) apologised to its passengers for the excessive flight delays and small number of flight cancellations caused by European ATC “staff shortages” and the “equipment failure” in the Netherlands ATC centre today (Wed 28 Aug), which are affecting all airlines operating to/from Eindhoven and Amsterdam. Despite EU flights in 2024 being 5% lower than 2019 levels, and even with the benefit of much fewer French ATC strikes, Europe’s ATC delays are at record levels. Over the last 3 years, Europe’s ATC fees have risen by 21% while staffing and service levels continue to decline. (....)