Ryanair has lost two of its landing slots at a European airport as a result of repeated late arrivals, it has been announced.
In a rare move, the country’s airport authority has punished the airline’s regularly delayed landings.
The low-cost carrier has seen two of its landing slots taken away at Eindhoven Airport, Airport Coordination Netherlands (ACNL), the body that assigns airport slots said on Tuesday.
ACNL found Ryanair had been consistently late on Monday and Thursday evenings.
The flights were most frequently delayed from Sofia, Bulgaria, on Monday evenings and from Pisa, Italy on Thursday nights.
It said that the flights were on average more than an hour late.
As such, ACNL removed the airline from the two slots for next summer’s schedule, Reuters reported.
Ryanair said in a statement: ‘Ryanair is the most punctual airline in Europe.
Ryanair has lost two of its landing slots at a European airport as a result of repeated late arrivals, it has been announced
‘We have appealed this unprecedented, irrational and disproportionate decision by ACNL to the European Commission and the Dutch courts, where we expect it will be overturned.
‘ACNL are penalising airlines for ATC delays pushing flights just 15-minutes over their scheduled arrival time, which is completely out of whack with the vast majority of European airports where the threshold is much higher and more reasonable.
‘Ryanair has long campaigned for ATC reform, but EU Commission President, Ursula von “Derlayed-Again”, has failed to take action.’
It is unclear what this will mean for passengers travelling to the Dutch hub as a result.
The announcement was first reported by Dutch newspaper Eindhovens Dagblad.
The Daily Mail has contacted ACNL for further comment.
It comes shortly after Ryanair’s much-anticipated new rule came into force.
From November 12 onwards, passengers on Ryanair flights must check in online before getting to the airport and using digital boarding passes – or face a £55 fee.
In a rare move, the country’s airport authority has punished the airline’s regularly delayed landings
The new rule was expected to cause some trouble for people who don’t own mobile phones.
A huge 2.06 million Brits aged over 55 do not have one of the handy devices, according to MoneySuperMarket.
Meanwhile, Ryanair revealed plans to halt flights from several European airports next year, citing tax changes in France as the reason.
The low-cost airline continues to speak out against tax hikes throughout the country, following the removal of several regional airports – including Strasbourg, Bergerac, and Vatry – from its flight schedule earlier this year.
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