Ryanair boss says Russian drone incursions will disrupt European flights for years

Michael O’Leary warns Russian drone incursions will disrupt European flights for years, calling them a 'wake-up call' for Nato and the EU

Michael O'Leary said the drone incidents in Poland was a 'wake-up call for Europe and Nato'.

Ryanair chief executive officer Michael O’Leary is bracing for airspace incursions like the drone barrage that disrupted Polish flights on Wednesday to continue.

“This is going to be an ongoing issue for all airlines for the next number of years,” Mr O’Leary said on Thursday at the Irish carrier’s annual general meeting in Dublin. He said Europe needs a strong response to what he called “Russian prodding.” 

Mr O’Leary praised the prompt response of Polish aviation officials and the EU Aviation Safety Agency after Russian drones overflew Ukraine and were shot down over Poland. He said the incident was a “wake-up call for Europe and Nato” and reduced the budget airline’s on-time performance to 60%, as air traffic disruptions spilled over into Scandinavia, the Baltic states, and Germany.

“This kind of irritant, Russia poking the bear, Russia irritating Europe, Russia playing games with Europe, will continue,” Mr O’Leary said. 

“We don’t see it as a safety issue, but it’s certainly a disruption issue.” 

Poland sought Nato consultations after shooting down drones that crossed into its territory early on Wednesday during a massive Russian air strike on Ukraine, calling the incursion an “act of aggression.”

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said the airspace violation amounted to an intentional provocation from Moscow, forcing the Nato and European Union member state to close its airspace and order citizens in the eastern part of the country to stay indoors.

The incident led to air traffic backups across Europe, Mr O’Leary said, adding that he is also seeing drone activity in the Baltic states. He said:  

We expect more disruptions unless the EU and the White House take some firm stake, particularly in the form of sanctions, penal sanctions, on Russia,.

At the meeting, Mr O’Leary told shareholders that summer demand was strong this year, and the airline will become debt-free after paying off two issues — one for €850m next week and another for €1.2bn in May.

Aircraft deliveries from Boeing on track for the first time in years, with 25 planes arriving between August and October.

Separately, Mr O'Leary said the airline was being "messed around" by airport authorities in Israel.

"I think there's a real possibility that we won't bother going back to Israel... when the current violence" recedes, he told journalists in Dublin.

The airline earlier this summer said it would not return to Israel until October 25 at the earliest.

Mr O'Leary said Ryanair objects to the fact that Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport charges it the higher rate for use of the main terminal when the cheaper low-cost terminal is closed for security reasons.

"Unless the Israelis kind of get their act together and stop messing us around, frankly, we have far more growth elsewhere in Europe," he said.

• Bloomberg and Reuters