Tens of thousands more passengers have suffered major cancellations and delays as a result of these air traffic control strikes in France. Militants from the two French unions announced wildcat strikes across the country in defense of working conditions. Consequently, large and medium airports nationwide are seeing their share of large-scale cancellations come to roost. That situation is set to get much worse, especially on Friday when cumulative flight schedules will be heavily affected.
France’s civil aviation authority, DGAC, has directed airlines to reduce their flight schedules. This is impacting many airports—including Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais. On Friday, there will be 40% reduced flight departures out of these Paris airports. The strike is sending shockwaves throughout the travel industry. At Paris’s main airports, one in four flights have been cancelled, with cancellations reaching as high as one out of two flights at Nice airport.
Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary went as far as to say the strikes should be “banned.” He condemned air traffic controllers for “holding European families hostage.” He focused on how unfair the whole scenario is to travelers.
“It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers going on holidays.” – Michael O’Leary
As of this week, in June Ryanair had flown 109,645 flights without incident. Unbelievably, less than 1% of these flights were affected by the strike. The disruption has caused a knock-on effect on flights going in and out of France to flights all over Europe—cancellations spread far beyond France.
In response to the unions’ demands and call to strike, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot denounced their demands and subsequent decision to strike as unreasonable. The general secretary has particularly condemned the timing of this strike, pointing out that it comes at the height of a busy holiday period for many travelers.
Our strike has put fear into the hearts of passengers who need to depend on air travel for their leisurely summer vacations. Every day, travelers are facing the consequences of travel disruption stemming from this strike. Such a scenario would have major ramifications for airlines and passengers alike.