Ryanair Christmas Flight Delays Left 55,000 in Portugal – Claim Your €600

The year-end rush that usually fills Portuguese airports with festive optimism turned, for many, into an exercise in patience. Between 22 and 31 December, more than 55,000 travellers departing from or landing in the country sat through prolonged waits after Ryanair operations were caught in a Europe-wide slowdown blamed on understaffed air-traffic control (ATC) centres. Across the continent, the tally exceeded 600,000 disrupted passengers, making this one of the most chaotic Christmas travel windows since the pandemic.

Quick glance: what matters for Portugal

• 55,260 people delayed in Portugal, spanning 307 flights.

• Country ranked 3rd most affected in the EU, behind Spain and France.

• Ryanair calls situation “avoidable” and demands ATC reform in Brussels.

• Passengers may claim up to €600 under EU Regulation 261/2004.

• New complaints portal launched: “Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight”.

Holiday turbulence hits Portuguese hubs

From Lisbon to Faro and Porto, departure boards lit up in red as aircraft queued for take-off clearances. Airport sources said bottlenecks were especially acute on 28 and 29 December, when fog in Paris and staffing gaps in Madrid cascaded through Iberian airspace. While TAP and easyJet also experienced hold-ups, Ryanair’s dense holiday schedule amplified the problem: a single late rotation in the morning snowballed into missed slots well into the night. The airline acknowledged the suffering of families travelling with children, calling the disruption “inexcusable at the peak of the calendar”.

Why nearly everyone was late

Ryanair blames an “old-fashioned, underfunded and short-staffed” ATC network. According to Eurocontrol data reviewed by the company, controllers in Spain, France, Germany and Portugal operated with skeleton rosters after a wave of retirements and slower-than-expected training pipelines. Industry analysts add that December’s surge in private-jet movements—up 12% year-on-year—further congested already saturated air corridors. What frustrates carriers most is that weather played only a minor role; 90% of delays were categorised as “staffing related”.

What Ryanair wants Brussels to change

Chief executive Eddie Wilson turned his anger towards the European Commission, accusing it of “sitting on its hands while holidaymakers pay the price”. Ryanair’s wish-list includes a single-European-sky programme to allow cross-border roster sharing, real-time data swaps between control centres, and mandatory minimum staffing levels. The carrier even coined a jab—“Ursula von ‘Derlayed-Again’”—aimed at Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Whether the rhetoric works or alienates policymakers remains to be seen, but Wilson has already secured meetings with transport ministries in Madrid, Paris and Lisbon later this month.

Know your rights: the compensation playbook

Under EU 261/2004, passengers arriving 3+ hours late can demand €250, €400 or €600 depending on route length, unless the airline proves “extraordinary circumstances”. ATC staffing shortages rarely qualify, meaning most affected flyers are entitled to cash. Lawyers advise filing directly with the carrier first; Ryanair must reply within 14 days. If that fails, complaints can escalate to ANAC or consumer-rights bodies such as DECO. Keep boarding passes, receipts for meals and any written notices—the more evidence, the faster the payout. Claims may be brought for up to 6 years in Portugal.

Next Christmas: smoother skies or déjà vu?

Eurocontrol has budgeted for 1,500 new controllers by spring 2026, yet unions warn the pipeline is “dangerously thin” because training takes up to 30 months. Airlines are lobbying for short-term fixes like remote tower technology and AI-assisted slot management. For passengers, the safest bet remains booking early-morning departures, building layover cushions, and downloading real-time tracking apps such as Flightradar24. Portuguese tourism officials, keen to protect a record-breaking €22 B industry, say they will press the EU for a timetable on reforms. Until then, keep those noise-cancelling headphones—and a dose of patience—packed in the carry-on.