Ryanair's Naming and Shaming: The European Flight Delay League

"The Delay League". That is what Ryanair calls the list published over the weekend, detailing the number of the airline's flights delayed due to what they describe as the conduct of European air traffic control. The list also reveals the number of passengers affected by the delays and the names of the ministers in charge in each country.

According to the company’s statement, which has long criticized air traffic control in Europe (ATC), the new "ranking" exposes the "worst air traffic control services in Europe, causing flight delays due to poor management and a lack of staffing."

As seen in the table, the country where Ryanair suffered the most delays was France, followed by Spain, Germany, Portugal, and the UK. In France, Ryanair claims that more than 2.8 million passengers were affected by the delays.

As mentioned, the company also publishes the names of the responsible ministers—transport ministers whom they ask passengers to contact to demand a change in management.

Urging Passengers to Act

The company reports that between January 1 and May 26, 2025, there were significant flight delays due to poor air traffic control performance in various European countries. Despite a 5% decrease in the number of flights compared to the pre-pandemic period, delays reached new heights, while air traffic control fees have risen by 35% since the COVID-19 era.

Ryanair calls on passengers to contact their transport ministers through a dedicated website and demand improvements in air traffic control services.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary: "Our Delay League exposes the worst air traffic control services in Europe caused by poor management and staffing shortages between January and May 2025. We demand that European transport ministers take responsibility for these avoidable and unnecessary delays."

Photo: Amit Cotler

As we reported last week, Ryanair decided to remove Israel from its flight schedule until July 2025 due to the ongoing conflict.

Prior to this, the company's CEO had threatened that his patience with the security situation in Israel and its impact on the flight schedule had run out, and that the company was close to redirecting planes to other destinations. This indeed happened, at least until the end of July, which is one of the most important months of the tourist season.

Michael O'Leary. Photo: Shutterstock