Strike generates wave of canceled flights in France and affects European airline industry

A strike by French air traffic controllers on Friday (19) led to the cancellation of more than 400 flights that would leave or arrive in Paris on that date and several others that would simply fly over the country, causing disruption across Europe.

The category union demands the hiring of more employees and salary increases capable of mitigating the effects of inflation. He says the strike comes after months of fruitless negotiations, and says a new three-day strike could take place at the end of the month if negotiations don’t move forward.

In recent months, strikes and short-staffed teams have forced companies to cancel thousands of flights, dashing hopes that this summer the sector would finally recover from the successive losses caused by the pandemic.

Europe’s largest low-cost airline, Ryanair said the mobilization forced it to take 420 flights — most of which would only fly over France — and affected the travel plans of around 80,000 passengers. The airline called the strike inexplicable and unfair to citizens and visitors.

Meanwhile, France’s Air France said it had cut its short and medium-haul flights by half, but kept 90% of its long-haul flights. British Airways said it had made few changes to its short-haul schedule, and offered customers who had their flights canceled options to reschedule or refund.

DGAC, France’s national aviation agency, says in a statement that it has asked all airlines to cut their flight offer in half. According to the official, some local airports were temporarily closed, including those in Montpellier and Rennes, and there were “significant delays” at the country’s airports.

Airports in neighboring countries also felt the impact of the strike in France. Spain’s Aena, which operates almost 50 airports in the country, said the mobilization caused it to cancel 65 flights, for example.