A strike by French air traffic controllers is causing travel disruptions.
A Ryanair 737 taxiing in London. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair said it has canceled 170 flights due to a strike by French air traffic controllers this week.
In a statement, the airline said the work stoppage, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will not just impact flights to and from France but flights passing over the country. About 30,000 Ryanair passengers will be affected.
The airline called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to reform European Union ATC regulations.
“Once again European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike,” said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. “It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.”
France’s civil aviation authority, the DGAC, has asked airlines to temporarily reduce flights in and out of several key airports, including Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, to reduce congestion. A report from the BBC said the situation is expected to worsen Friday, when about 40% of flights at Paris-CDG, Paris-Orly, and Beauvais–Tillé Airport will be cut.
Airlines for Europe, a trade group whose members include Ryanair, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, EasyJet, and British Airways parent IAG, called the strike “intolerable” for disrupting air traffic during the busy summer travel season.
The French air traffic controllers union, the UNSA-ICNA, said it is protesting understaffing and aging equipment.
“The DGAC is failing to modernise the tools that are essential to air traffic controllers, even though it continues to promise that all necessary resources are being made available,” the group said in a statement.
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he’s concerned that a proposed partnership between United and JetBlue could harm competition…
Qatar Airways has completed the installation of SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi service across its fleet of 54 Boeing 777 aircraft, becoming…
Virgin Atlantic has become the first United Kingdom airline to announce plans to implement Starlink in-flight connectivity on all of…
