Ryanair has issued an apology to passengers following widespread flight delays across Europe on Thursday due to air traffic control staff shortages.The disruption is affecting all European airlines, despite flight volumes currently running five per cent below 2019 levels.The airline noted that whilst there had been no French air traffic control strikes this summer, ATC services continue to underperform across the continent.”These repeated flight delays due to ATC mismanagement are unacceptable,” Ryanair stated in their announcement today.Flight volumes currently running 5 per cent below 2019 levelsPAThe airline reported that its first wave of departures on Thursday faced delays due to ATC staffing issues.”We apologise to our passengers for these repeated ATC flight delays which are deeply regrettable but beyond Ryanair’s control,” the company said.In response to the ongoing disruption, Ryanair is urging affected passengers to take action through their campaign website atcruinedourholiday.com.The airline is calling on passengers to demand that the EU Commission implement urgent improvements to Europe’s air traffic control system.It comes as Ryanair’s CEO has strongly criticised the new Labour Government’s decision to increase Air Passenger Duty on short-haul flights, announcing the UK’s leading airline would cut 10 per cent of its UK seats next year.The £2 per passenger hike, announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ recent budget, has been condemned as a blow to UK families and tourism.The low-cost carrier argues that this tax increase will make holidays abroad more expensive for ordinary Britons.In some cases, a family of four may now face £60 in air travel taxes for a trip to Spain.Ryanair is urging affected passengers to take actionPARyanair CEO Michael O’Leary argued that the tax hike will damage growth, tourism, and air travel to and from the UK.He blasted the decision as “idiotic” and “short-sighted”, adding that it demonstrates the Government’s lack of understanding of how to deliver economic growth.He said: “This short-sighted tax grab will make air travel much more expensive for ordinary UK families going on holidays abroad and will make the UK a less competitive destination compared to Ireland, Sweden, Hungary and Italy where these governments are abolishing travel taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism, and jobs growth in their economies.”Reeves has damaged the UK’s growth prospects and made air travel much more expensive for UK families travelling abroad on holidays or to visit friends and family.”