Danger for years: Ryanair chief warns of Russian drone threat to Europe
Photo: Michael O’Leary (Getty Images)
Drone attacks like the recent incident in Poland will continue. European airlines will have to face such threats in the coming years, stated Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, Bloomberg reports.
"This is going to be an ongoing issue for all airlines for the next number of years," O’Leary said at the annual shareholders’ meeting in Dublin. He emphasized that Europe must respond firmly to "Russian prodding."
Drone incident in Poland and its impact
O’Leary highlighted the swift response of the Polish aviation authorities and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency after Russian drones crossed Ukraine and were shot down over Poland. He called it a "wake-up call for Europe and NATO."
He added that the incident lowered Ryanair’s "on-time performance" to 60% as flight disruptions spread to Scandinavia, the Baltic states, and Germany.
"This kind of irritant, Russia poking the bear, Russia irritating Europe, Russia playing games with Europe, will continue. We don’t see it as a safety issue, but it’s certainly a disruption issue," he said.
Flight disruptions across Europe
According to O’Leary, the incident caused serious disruptions to air traffic across Europe. He also noted that Russian drone activity is being observed in the Baltic countries.
"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," the Ryanair chief stressed.
Poland and NATO response
Poland requested NATO consultations after its military shot down drones that violated the country’s airspace during Russia’s massive strike on Ukraine. Warsaw called the incident an act of aggression.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the airspace breach was a deliberate provocation by Moscow. As a result, Poland had to close its skies and urged residents in eastern regions to stay indoors.
