Airlines face increasing security alerts in Europe, Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary said after Russia’s drone incursion of Poland disrupted flights across the Continent on Wednesday.
“This is going to be an ongoing issue for all airlines and all European citizens for the next number of years,” he said, speaking to reporters after the company’s annual meeting of shareholders. “We can expect more disruptions unless the EU and the White House take a firm stick, preferably in the form of sanctions on Russia.”
“This kind of irritant, of Russia poking the bear, Russia irritating Europe, Russia playing games, will continue,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see the incursions as a “safety issue, but it’s certainly a disruption issue”.
Mr O’Leary warned that the risk from drones is that air traffic control respond to the risk by closing airports.
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He said 40 per cent of Ryanair’s flights were delayed on Wednesday after Polish authorities shot down a number of Russian drones that had crossed into its air space.
“Our normal on-time performance is about 90 per cent,” Mr O’Leary said. “That fell yesterday to 60 per cent, so 40 per cent of our flights yesterday were delayed” due to the closure of air traffic control capacity over Poland.
He called for a “robust response” from the Government and EU, noting they have observed similar drone disruption activity in the Baltic states.
Closer to home, Mr O’Leary said Dublin Airport was now hamstrung by “not one, but two illegal caps” on passenger numbers.
He criticised what he called a “do nothing Government, with do nothing Ministers” for their failure to address the cap on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport which is subject to an annual limit of 32 million passengers each year under the conditions of planning permission for its new north runway dating back to 2007.
The cap has effectively been paused following various legal challenges and is awaiting a ruling from European courts.
Mr O’Leary said he expects Dublin Airport to surpass 36 million passengers this year, despite the introduction of a limits on night flights and early morning arrivals announced by An Coimisiún Pleanála in July.
The caps, he said, are “in breach of the EU’s Freedom of Movement [rights]” while also claiming they are illegal under the EU-US Open Skies agreement.
“If this second stupid cap goes ahead, I suspect you’ll see Aer Lingus getting blocked out of landing in United States. Then all of a sudden, [Taoiseach] Micheál Martin and [Tánaiste] Simon Harris will get up off their arse, and this cap will be scrapped within 24 hours.”
He said the Government had been “running around for the last two weeks, holding press conferences and setting up working groups and strategic this, that and the other”.
“We elected them to make decisions and to deliver, and they need to start delivering,” said Mr O’Leary. “You should elect me and I’ll fix it by lunchtime.”
Mr O’Leary was unanimously re-elected to his position on the board at the annual meeting. He said business was “booming” for Ryanair despite “slightly disappointing” growth due to delays in aircraft delivery from Boeing.
The airline had anticipated carrying 215 million passengers in the year had Boeing been able to fulfil its planned deliveries, or 206 million otherwise.
The anticipated rate of growth is set to be picked up next year, he said, expressing confidence in the new chief executive of Boeing’s commercial division, Stephanie Pope. The Ryanair boss said the staffing changes have resulted in “much better hands-on management” at Boeing’s production division.
“The Americans don’t make much any more, but they do make good planes,” Mr O’Leary observed to shareholders, noting the existing US administration has an “aggressively supportive stance towards Boeing”.
