+34Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, has reported a significant number of flight cancellations in September, attributing the disruption to the failure of the UK air traffic control system. The company, along with others, is calling for the resignation of the air traffic agency's CEO following multiple service outages. Despite the setbacks, Ryanair saw an increase in passenger numbers for the year, while competitor Wizz Air announced future capacity reductions due to rising fuel costs and geopolitical tensions.
To report Mashreq, citing ITV News, Europe's largest airline, Ryanair, attributed part of its cancellation of over 1,000 flights in September to the recent 'collapse' of the UK air traffic control system.
اختلال کنترل ترافیک هوایی بریتانیا
The Irish carrier stated that the flight cancellations were related to two disruptions in the UK air traffic control services within less than two weeks, a strike by air traffic controllers in Belgium, and a pan-European disruption caused by volcanic ash clouds from the eruptions of Mount Etna. Following a series of air traffic control disruptions last month that led to the cancellation of thousands of flights across the aviation industry and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers, pressure is mounting on Martin Rolf, CEO of the UK National Air Traffic Services, to resign.
The latest disruption was caused by a 'communication problem' at the agency's center in Prestwick, Scotland. This incident was unrelated to the air traffic control software failure on September 8th, which caused widespread flight chaos. Ryanair is among the companies that have called for Rolf's resignation.
Meanwhile, Heidi Alexander, the UK's Transport Secretary, is scheduled to meet with Warren East, the Chairman of the National Air Traffic Services and former CEO of Rolls-Royce, in the coming weeks to discuss these issues. According to Ryanair's latest traffic figures, the company operated over 111,700 flights and carried 20.1 million passengers last month, representing a 4% increase compared to the same period last year.
کاهش پروازهای Wizz Air در ۲۰۲۶
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air also reported a 24% increase in passenger numbers to 7.78 million last month, with its flight capacity increasing by 25.3%. However, Wizz Air recently announced that it would reduce its flight schedule by 5% in the second half of 2026, a decision attributed to the broader pressures on the aviation industry from the US-Israeli war against Iran and a significant increase in fuel costs.
Ryanair Flight Cancellation Air Traffic Control Failure UK Wizz Air Aviation Martin Rolf Heidi Alexander