Ryanair blames England’s NATS for delays affecting 133,000 passengers

Ryanair has criticised England’s air traffic control provider NATS after more than 133,000 passengers suffered delays in April 2026.

The airline has highlighted that these delays represented a 142pc increase compared with April 2025 and totalled over 115 hours of disruption. Ryanair has pointed out that NATS paid out a £171 million dividend while failing to invest sufficiently in improving its service amid staff shortages and mismanagement.

The most up-to-date press release from Ryanair’s corporate media centre, dated 29 April 2026, focuses on ongoing UK airspace and ATC challenges. Ryanair has called on NATS to prioritise fixes to its failing air traffic control system rather than distributing large dividends. The release has underlined the impact on passengers and Ryanair’s operations at UK airports, particularly London Stansted and others in the network.

Ryanair has also issued recent statements on base adjustments and operational changes. On 24 April 2026 the airline confirmed it will close its seven-aircraft Berlin base from 24 October 2026, which will reduce flights to and from Berlin by 50pc in the winter schedule. This decision has followed a 27pc collapse in Berlin traffic since the COVID period and a 50pc rise in costs, with a further 10pc increase expected from 2027.

Jade Kirwan shared “We were pleased to see the first flight of our new Summer 2026 route from Dublin to Tirana take off last month as we move into the busy Summer 2026 season. This exciting new Summer route will operate four flights per week, adding to Ryanair’s already robust Summer 2026 schedule, offering our customers even more choice at the lowest fares in Europe.”