That Was The Week That Was 29 May – 02 June 2023

Written by Aviation Advocacy on 5 June 2023. Posted in TWTWTW

Aus keyboard citoyens!

We foreshadowed a couple of weeks ago that Ryanair was on the threshold of hitting its 1,000,000-signature target for its petition against an effective ban on overflights when French air traffic controllers, or even a tiny number of them, go on strike.  In fact the target was met two weeks ago, it just took until this week, the week that was, for them all to be printed out and put into five large books, to be presented to the Commission. 

An appointment with Madam van der Layan was arranged and into Brussels rode Team Ryanair, banners, t-shirts and petitions at the ready.  Ms van der Layan bravely ran off to Moldovia.  Nonetheless, the books were handed over to the Director of Aviation, Filip Cornelius.  The petition may have been given to the Commission, but in doing so, Ryanair noted that this is not a fight against the European Commission, it is against the government of France that continues to allow this discriminatory behaviour of allocating all ‘essential services’ flights, which must be maintained during strikes to flights to and from France, usually operated by, err, checks notes, oh, Air France!  Quell surprise!  Overflights, such as say, from Dublin to Rome, are diverted or cancelled.  It should also be noted that Spain, Italy and Greece protect 100% of overflights in the event of an industrial dispute.  It is Commission guidance, after all. 

Frustrated, Ryanair turned to their social media channels and their customer base.  Every visit to the website was afforded an opportunity to sign the petition.  This gathering of support is known as clicktivism: activists join the fight, or sign the petition, with a click of the mouse.  Under the rules, Ryanair had a year to gather the million signatures.  It did so in less than three months.  Revolution 2.0 is now clearly with us.

There is a supreme irony here, as no French person is congenitally able to knowingly walk past a barricade.  So, what happens when the barricade is against your government?  What to do?  If we may make a humble suggestion, and to turn this debate entirely in Ryanair’s favour, it needs to appeal all the citizens of Europe, including the French, and keep them fired up for the fight.  There is only one way to do that, by using the unchallenged best national anthem in the world, La Marseillaies.  Ryanair needs to appeal directly to the heart of the continent.  Not even the French can resist such a call.  But to make it understandable in modern Europe, it must surely be in Franglais. 

We have a modest suggested first draft: