Ryanair, the Ireland-based low cost airline, has been recognised by NATS for its industry leading performance on key safety measures.
According to NATS quarterly performance data, Ryanair is one of the best performing airlines for minimising level busts, reducing callsign confusion incidents and compliance with ATC procedures.
For Ryanair, the annual rate of level busts – or instances when aircraft fail to fly at their cleared level – was 0.92 per 100,000 movements, as compared to an all airline average of 6.69 percent. Annual rate of callsign confusion events resulting from recognition errors between pilots and ATC was 4.58 per 100,000 movements, compared to the all airline average of 4.67. And instances when Ryanair failed to follow ATC procedures stood at an annual rate of 0.92 per 100,000 movements, as compared to the all airline average of 1.73.
Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said: ‘These latest NATS performance statistics confirm that Ryanair is one of the most safety-compliant airlines in UK airspace. We welcome these independent statistics which underline Ryanair’s excellent operating procedures, our industry leading 29year safety record and our relentless commitment to safety.’
Europe’s only ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), Ryanair operates more than 1,600 daily flights (over 500,000 per year) from 57 bases, across 1,600 low fare routes, connecting 180 destinations in 29 countries and operating a fleet of 303 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Ryanair has recently announced orders for a further 175 new Boeing aircraft, which will be delivered between 2014 and 2018.
In October, Ryanair’s traffic increased by six percent year on year to over 8.02 million customers, while the load factor increased to 83 percent – a one percent increase. The annual traffic as of end October increased by two percent to 80.9 million customers.
