\n
![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GettyImages-2163235857-e1725873974526.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n [ad_1]
\n<\/p>\n
Ryanair boss Michael O\u2019Leary has taken a fresh swipe at his apparent nemesis after a weekend of delays at one of the U.K.\u2019s busiest airports, calling for the man he sees as responsible to step down and \u201callow someone competent\u201d to take his place.<\/p>\n
London Gatwick Airport was beset with air traffic control issues over the weekend owing to staff shortages at its contractor Nats. Some 57 flights were canceled<\/a> from the airport, while another 240 were delayed on Sunday.<\/p>\n EasyJet was the biggest victim of cancellations, while other operators including British Airways and Wizz Air also faced heavy disruption.<\/p>\n O\u2019Leary, whose airline operates flights to and from Gatwick, wasn\u2019t sparing in his criticism of the air traffic control group over the recurring problem of staff shortages.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the latest in a long line of cock-ups by UK Nats, which has yet again disrupted multiple flights and thousands of passengers at Gatwick. Airlines and passengers deserve better,\u201d O\u2019Leary said.<\/p>\n \u201cRyanair again calls on UK Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe to step down and allow someone competent to run an efficient UK ATC service, which airlines and passengers are entitled to expect.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he won\u2019t go, then Louise Haigh should sack him,\u201d O\u2019Leary said of the new U.K. transport secretary.<\/p>\n A representative for Nats didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n O\u2019Leary has been in a feud with Nats and its chief executive Rolfe since last year\u2019s August bank holiday, when staff shortages forced Ryanair<\/a> to cancel 370 flights at an estimated cost of $25 million.<\/p>\n Nats said in September last year that 30% of its staff<\/a> were forced off work for \u201ca variety of medical reasons including Covid.\u201d<\/p>\n In April, Ryanair said it would be suing Nats<\/a> for last Summer\u2019s travel chaos in a bid to recoup losses from cancellations and the \u00a3100 million a year it pays in ATC fees.<\/p>\n While his rivalry with Rolfe has been brewing for months, O\u2019Leary has made time to stoke his other feuds over the Summer months.<\/p>\n After rival budget airline Wizz Air introduced a \u20ac499 all-you-can-fly pass in August, O\u2019Leary dismissed the pilot project as \u201ca bit of a marketing scam<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n His comments prompted Wizz Air\u2019s chief corporate and ESG officer Yvonne Moynihan to label them \u201cnot only provocative\u201d but also \u201cinaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Leary then found himself in the crosshairs of the outspoken Wetherspoons boss Sir Tim Martin after taking a pointed dig at the low-price U.K. pub chain.<\/p>\n The Ryanair chief executive called on the Labour government to introduce a two-drink limit<\/a> at airports to curb a rapid increase in air rage on his flights.<\/p>\n \u201cThe airports of course are opposed to it and say that their bars don\u2019t serve drunken passengers. But they do serve the relatives of the drunken passenger,\u201d O\u2019Leary said in August.<\/p>\n However, Martin hit back at O\u2019Leary, criticizing Ryanair for offering fliers a discount if they ordered a double whiskey on board.\u201cWe\u2019ve had no complaints about our pubs from the airport authorities or airlines that I\u2019m aware of in recent years,\u201d Martin told the Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nO\u2019Leary\u2019s feuds<\/h2>\n
Explore our new special issue.\u00a0<\/strong>A Wall Street legend gets a radical makeover, crypto iniquity, misbehaving poultry royalty, and more.\u00a0Read the stories.<\/a><\/div>\n