Ryanair has called on the French government to urgently overhaul its air traffic control system following a French Senate report that it says exposes deep structural weaknesses in the country’s ATC provider, DSNA. The airline argues that France risks becoming a long-term bottleneck in European airspace unless reforms are implemented quickly.
The Senate report, cited by Ryanair, describes DSNA as under-resourced, reliant on outdated technology, and struggling with staffing shortages and long-term capacity constraints. It warns that, without corrective action, French ATC may be unable to cope with demand by 2030, potentially forcing structural flight cancellations. Eurocontrol estimates referenced in the report suggest French ATC delays could cost airlines up to €1.7 billion annually by 2035.
Ryanair highlights several issues, including lower-than-average productivity, a training period of around five years for air traffic controllers in France (compared with under two years in some European countries), and major delays in modernisation programmes, some reportedly more than a decade behind schedule. The airline also criticises the continued use of legacy systems such as paper flight strips and ageing radio infrastructure.
A key concern raised is disruption from French ATC strikes, which Ryanair says frequently affect overflights between third countries. The airline is calling for stronger protection of overflight traffic during industrial action, similar to safeguards already applied to domestic services in France.
Ryanair is urging measures including accelerated recruitment of controllers, shorter training times, improved rostering, dedicated reinvestment of ATC revenues into infrastructure, and a full modernisation of DSNA systems. It argues that without structural reform, France risks becoming a persistent source of delays and disruption across the European aviation network.