Ryanair boss calls air traffic chaos report rubbish

The boss of Ryanair has slammed a report on the flights chaos seen over the bank holiday as "rubbish". Michael O'Leary claimed the findings "downplay the impact on the aviation industry" and said the report was "full of excuses". The UK's air traffic control system was brought down in a "one in 15m" event, the head of air traffic services, Nats, said on Wednesday. Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled as a result on 28 August. Industry group Airlines UK argues that carriers incurred huge costs in providing accommodation and putting on more flights for customers who were stuck overseas. It is now calling for these costs to be covered. O'Leary told the BBC that the disruption will cost the airline between GBP15m and GBP20m in refunds for hotels, food and alternative travel arrangements. He said that "there won't be any issues" for customers claiming costs, but demanded that Nats, which controls the UK's air traffic services, "accepts responsibility for its incompetence". Marion Geoffroy, managing director at Wizz Air UK, said that it, along with its customers, had "suffered severe disruption" because of cancellations and accommodation costs. Tim Alderslade, CE of Airlines UK, said: "Airlines cannot be the insurer of a last resort. We can't have a situation whereby airlines carry the can every time we see disruption of this magnitude." The group represents the likes of British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and Tui.<br/>