British tourists this summer may face a travel chaos as Ryanair warns about that delays could soar “by 20 percent” and affect all airlines. According to the officials, shortage of air traffic controllers across Europe has the scope to cause massive delays to flights.

The budget airline has launched a public campaign called “Air Traffic Control Ruined My Flight” urging national governments—including those of the UK and Spain—to take swift action in addressing staffing shortages in airport control towers, reports The Olive Press. In a strongly worded statement, Ryanair took a dig at Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente, calling on him to “get serious” and hire more air traffic control staff to avoid a summer of chaos.

Spain is currently the second-most affected country in Europe for flight delays, trailing only France. In 2025, Ryanair reports an astonishing 11,576 delayed flights, impacting over 2 million passengers.

The airline attributes the disruption to chronic staff shortages in control towers, a problem it insists has been neglected by officials despite numerous warnings.

CEO Michael O’Leary, is urging fed-up fliers to flood government ministers across Europe – including in France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and the UK – with complaints.

The airline, on its website, has directed passengers to write directly to ministers demanding immediate action.

A spokesperson said: “This is going to be a very difficult summer, not just for Ryanair but for every airline in Europe. Unless governments act now, passengers will suffer needless delays again and again.”

Ryanair states that 2024 saw a record number of delays and warns that 2025 could be even worse unless urgent action is taken.

The airline reports that while air traffic across Europe has nearly returned to pre-Covid levels, controller staffing remains critically low.

In April alone, delays skyrocketed by 61 percent compared to the same month last year, highlighting the growing crisis.