Ryanair Welcomes 20.7 Million Passengers in July 2025 Amid French ATC Strikes

Ryanair, the budget airline, reported a remarkable achievement in July 2025, managing to carry over 20 million passengers despite facing numerous flight cancellations due to strikes by French air traffic controllers.

On August 5, 2025, the airline shared its traffic figures for July, indicating a record of 20.7 million travelers. This marks a 3% increase compared to July 2024, when the figure stood at 20.2 million.

Interestingly, Ryanair’s load factor, which reflects the average percentage of seats filled on its planes, remained steady at an impressive 96%, the same as last year.

Ryanair Calls for EU Intervention on Strikes

In July 2025, Ryanair operated over 113,000 flights but faced 680 cancellations, largely due to labor unrest among French air traffic controllers. The strikes occurred from July 3-4, with controllers advocating for improved working conditions.

This two-day strike forced airlines, including Ryanair and easyJet, to cancel a significant number of flights, while Paris airports reduced traffic by up to 40% following a request from the French civil aviation authority (DGAC).

Data from Eurocontrol revealed the strikes resulted in an average delay of 3,713 flights each day, along with about 1,422 cancellations daily. Flights to and from neighboring countries, like Spain, the UK, and Italy, were also impacted, leading to approximately 354,000 minutes in air traffic management delays across the network.

The overall financial impact of these strikes was substantial, with an estimated cost of €47 million related to delays and around €73 million due to cancellations, culminating in a total of approximately €120 million over just two days.

In light of these disruptions, affected airlines are advocating for swift reforms at the EU level concerning air traffic control services.

Ryanair has previously called on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take prompt action to reform EU air traffic control systems, criticizing the strikes as “unjust” and detrimental to passengers across Europe.