Low-Cost Carrier Ryanair has joined the chorus condemning the ruling by the UK CAA to allow NATS to increase its ‘already high’ ATC charges by another 26% from 2023 to 2027

Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said: “We are astonished at the CAA’s decision to award NATS another 26% increase in their already high charges after a summer where NATS repeatedly delayed flights due to badly managed staff rosters and mismanaged operations which collapsed altogether on 28 August last in circumstances which remain unexplained. NATS continues to call for last-minute schedule cuts at Gatwick through Sept and October due to mismanaged rosters in the ATC tower.

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“NATS should not be rewarded for its mismanagement with further price increases which will only go to fund more undeserved dividends to its shareholders. What we need in NATS is new and competent management and the Govt should start by sacking the overpaid, but incompetent CEO, Martin Rolfe”.

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“Ryanair calls on the CAA to reverse this illogical decision to award a 26% price increase to NATS and believes no increase should be awarded until NATS delivers the service it is already being paid for without staff shortages, without capacity restrictions and without complete system shutdowns such as that delivered by Martin Rolfe and his team on 28 August last.”