Budget airline Ryanair has complained to European Commission about delays at the Athens International Airport saying that 12 of its flights were affected and more than 2,000 of its passengers suffered delays on a single day alone, on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
Ryanair is urging the European Commission to accelerate reform of Europe’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) system after an equipment failure at Athens ATC Centre on Wednesday.
According to a company announcement [full statement below], the disruption delayed 12 of the airline’s flights and affected more than 2,000 passengers.
The incident adds to wider operational challenges facing airlines in Europe. Between January 1 and August 20 this year, more than 5,000 of its flights and over 900,000 passengers have been affected by delays linked to ATC staff shortages and disruptions, with Greece ranking as the fifth-worst performing ATC service in Europe, Ryanair said.
“It is unacceptable that passengers continue to suffer ATC disruptions as a result of repeated ATC staff shortages across Europe, and now, another equipment failure today (20 Aug), this time in Athens,” a Ryanair spokesperson said. “When will Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’ and the EU Commission step up and take action to reform EU ATC and protect passengers from repeated ATC disruptions like this?”
The airline argues that Europe’s ATC system is failing to keep pace with operational needs, pointing to rising costs, repeated staff shortages, and technological lapses.
Ryanair has long campaigned for structural reform and is now urging passengers to press their national transport ministers for action.
“We encourage all passengers affected by these unacceptable ATC delays to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and demand action to improve Europe’s failing ATC system,” the airline’s spokesperson said.
Ryanair’s complaint reportedly comes hours after Eurocontrol, the civil-military organization for European aviation, showed in its weekly report on air traffic management that Greece accounted for 12% of the delays in the bloc in the August 4-10 period, the majority of which are attributed to Athens air traffic control. It added that ATC capacity/staffing was responsible for 80% of all en-route delays in France, Spain, Germany and Greece during that same week, with weather conditions accounting for only 14%.
According to kathimerini.gr, the problems at Athens International Airport also seriously impacted Greek carrier Aegean Airlines, which uses the capital as its main hub. About 38% of its arrival delays were traced to slowdowns at Athens, highlighting the strain on Greece’s busiest airport during the peak tourist season.
Ryanair Statement
RYANAIR CALLS FOR URGENT ATC REFORM AS ATHENS ATC EQUIPMENT FAILURE ON WED (20 AUG) DELAYS 12 RYANAIR FLIGHTS & OVER 2,000 RYANAIR PASSENGERS
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, called on the EU Commission to urgently reform Europe’s shambolic ATC system after an ATC equipment failure at Athens’s ATC Centre today (Wed, 20 Aug) caused unnecessary delay to flights to/from Greece, including the delay of 12 Ryanair flights and over 2,000 Ryanair passengers.
So far in 2025 (1 Jan – 20 Aug), over 5,000 Ryanair flights and over Ryanair 900,000 passengers have been unfairly delayed due to Greek ATC mismanagement and staff shortages, making Greece the 5th worst performing ATC service for delays in Europe.
The EU Commission under Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’ has committed to delivering competitiveness and efficiency in Europe, yet it continues to allow repeated ATC mismanagement to disrupt flights and passengers. Ryanair has long campaigned for EU ATC reform and calls on all passengers to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and use the template email to complain directly to their Transport Minister and demand ATC reform.
A Ryanair spokesperson said:
“It is unacceptable that passengers continue to suffer ATC disruptions as a result of repeated ATC staff shortages across Europe, and now, another equipment failure today (20 Aug), this time in Athens, which forced the delay of 12 Ryanair flights and over 2,000 Ryanair passengers. When will Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’ and the EU Commission step up and take action to reform EU ATC and protect passengers from repeated ATC disruptions like this?
So far in 2025 (1 Jan – 20 Aug), over 5,000 Ryanair flights and over Ryanair 900,000 passengers have been unfairly delayed due to Greek ATC mismanagement and staff shortages, making Greece the 5th worst performing ATC service for delays in Europe.
We encourage all passengers affected by these unacceptable ATC delays to visit the ‘Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight’ webpage and demand action to improve Europe’s failing ATC system.” via ryanair.com
In theory it’s a great idea to set up a website to complain if ATC caused delay BUT as an air passenger we are NEVER advised of the CAUSE of delay! More and clearer communication from the airline to the paying customer is desperately needed. Also it is baduc good manners
basic not baduc
Yeah they need to stop only collecting money and starting to spend money.
I have had to take on Multiple airlines who have delayed flights from Athens just for their own financial reasons and nothing to do with ATC. These airlines constantly abuse passengers by refusing to pay compensation under EU261. Now I don;t ever fly Ryan Air so I don’t know what their record is on complying with EU261 but the airlines I have successfully got compenbsation from via my credit card or with the assistance of HCAA always blame someone else but never admit fault themselves and never pay up unless forced to do so which can take from 6 months to a year
Ryanair are very transparent, although you need to look carefully through the site, there is a form you can complete for a delayed flight. If the flight number you claim qualifies, they send you the relevant EU compensation automatically.
I did this once and was compensated quickly.
For work we fly almost every week Athens – Zurich – Athens on Aegean or Swiss and I’d say 90% of the time the flights are delayed by 1-2 hours. All we get is an apology over the intercom system. This has become unacceptable. I don’t know where the blame lays but something has to change.