Europe's largest low-cost airline Ryanair called on Tuesday for immediate action from the European Commission to prevent more air traffic control (ATC) strikes and staff shortages.

Such strikes and shortages caused the cancellation of over 1,100 Ryanair flights in May 2018 compared with 43 in May 2017, said the Ireland-headquartered airline.

"Regrettably, over 200,000 Ryanair customers had their flights cancelled in May because of ATC strikes (mostly French), ATC staff shortages, and thunderstorms," said Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's chief marketing officer.

If the ATC strikes and staff shortages are not dealt with immediately, more disruptions to travel plans could be expected this summer, he warned.

Ryanair issued the call while announcing its May traffic statistics.

Despite the disruption by ATC strikes and staff shortages, Ryanair still managed to carry more customers in the last month due to its competitive and lower fares.

According to the latest Ryanair statistics, the airline carried a total of 12.5 million passengers in May, up six percent from a year ago, and its May load factor (occupancy rate of flights) also went up by one percentage point to 96 percent compared with May 2017.