Ryanair has launched a public campaign urging passengers affected by air traffic control delays to email UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and press the government to act, saying the country's air navigation service provider, Nats, is "mismanaged and short-staffed."
The Irish low-cost carrier created a webpage titled "Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight," posting Ms. Alexander's publicly available email address and asking customers to demand action. Ryanair said 5,782 of its flights between Jan. 1 and Sept. 1, 2025, were impacted by delays linked to Nats, affecting more than one million passengers.
Jade Kirwan, Ryanair's director of communications, said the delays have harmed holidaymakers, including families with young children, and urged the UK government — which owns a 49% stake in Nats and holds additional powers through a so-called "golden share" — to intervene. "It is unacceptable that Nats' ATC mismanagement and staff shortages continue to cause disruption to UK flights and passengers," she said.
Ryanair also criticized European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for what the carrier said was insufficient action to improve air traffic control services across Europe and posted a mocked-up video on the campaign site. Nats did not provide an on-the-record comment to Ryanair for the campaign, but has pointed to Eurocontrol data showing it handled nearly a quarter of Europe's air traffic in July while being responsible for only 1.8% of delays.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government and the Civil Aviation Authority "work closely with the UK aviation industry to ensure passengers receive a good and reliable service," and noted that air traffic control operates in a largely privatised market. The spokesperson did not set out any immediate intervention plans in response to Ryanair's campaign.
Ryanair's move follows months of disruption blamed in part on staffing issues and operational pressures in European air traffic management. Airlines and national providers across the continent have traded public criticism in recent years over the causes of congested airspace, delayed flights and cancellations.
Separately, Ryanair reiterated its plan to end printed boarding passes, saying from Nov. 3, 2025, passengers will be required to use the myRyanair app's digital boarding pass after check-in. Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told an industry podcast that 85% to 90% of the carrier's customers already use smartphones for boarding and that the airline was "getting rid of the paper boarding passes."
Ryanair called on affected passengers to visit its campaign webpage and contact Ms. Alexander directly as part of what the airline described as a push to force national ministers to take "urgent action to fix their national ATC services and stop these needless ATC delays."