- More than 30 Ryanair flights and 6,000 passengers were disrupted on 13 August
- Cumulative delays before 9 am reached almost eight hours
- English ATC delays have risen by over 80pc compared with the previous year
- The delays were caused by inadequate staff planning, not weather or technical issues
- Ryanair called NATS’ staffing resilience into question during peak summer
Ryanair has demanded that NATS urgently explain repeated air traffic control staff shortages that delayed more than 30 of its flights and disrupted almost 6,000 passengers before breakfast on the morning of 13 August 2026. The airline stated that these avoidable shortages caused almost eight hours of cumulative flight delays before 9 am alone. Ryanair described the situation as further evidence of NATS’ failure to resource the English ATC service properly during the peak summer travel season.
The carrier noted that ATC delays have already risen by over 80pc this year compared with the previous year. Airlines continue to pay record ATC charges while the service deteriorates. Ryanair called on NATS to account for why every other business manages staff absence effectively, yet England’s monopoly air traffic provider repeatedly fails to do so during the busiest weeks of the year.
Ryanair’s Chief Operations Officer Neal McMahon criticised the lack of staffing resilience at NATS. He pointed out that the delays were not caused by weather or technical issues but by inadequate staff planning. He stressed that passengers are paying the price for ongoing failures to staff the service properly, especially during peak summer when resilience is essential. Ryanair maintained that passengers deserve a reliable ATC service that is adequately staffed and capable of handling peak summer traffic.
Neal McMahon shared “It is beyond belief that over 30 Ryanair flights and almost 6,000 passengers have suffered delays before breakfast this morning because NATS cannot adequately staff its ATC operation. Why does NATS continue to operate without sufficient staffing resilience? Every other business plans for staff absences. Every other business maintains contingency cover. Why does NATS repeatedly fail to do either. Every summer NATS promises improvement. Every summer passengers get excuses.”
