French air traffic control strikes: which airports and flights are affected?
The latest strike by French air traffic controllers represented by the UNSA-ICNA union is taking place over two days, on July 3 and 4.
The French civil aviation authority, DGAC, has warned of disruption across multiple airports in France on July 3 and 4. These include: Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, Figari, Lyons, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly and Paris Beauvais. DGAC has also asked airlines to cut a quarter of flights in and out of Paris airports on July 3 and almost half of all flights on July 4. In other parts of the country, airlines were asked to reduce flights by between 30 to 50 per cent.
Ryanair said that it has cancelled 170 scheduled flights over the two days, affecting 30,000 passengers. This includes flights to and from France as well as those flying over French airspace, including those to the UK, Ireland, Greece and Spain.
Easyjet has cancelled 22 flights to or from the UK scheduled for July 3, and 38 for July 4. The airline said in a statement: 'As required by the French authorities (DGAC) easyJet proactively cancelled some flights in advance and customers were contacted directly with options to transfer to another flight for free or a refund. As this action could result in further disruption to (the) airline's flying programmes, we advise all customers travelling on 3 or 4 July to check the status of their flights on our Flight Tracker online for the most up to date information.'
British Airways has also made adjustments to its schedule, but it has not confirmed the number of cancellations. It is, however, using larger aircraft where possible to accommodate those affected by cancelled flights.
The best way to monitor the status of your flight is to use the 'check flight status' feature on the website of the airline you're flying with. If you have the app for the airline installed, it should also give you details of upcoming flights there.
More generally, it's worth making sure the airline has the correct contact details for you so they can notify you if there are any changes to your flight.
• When are the next train strikes and will they affect my holiday?• What happens if I miss my flight because of security queues?
Usually airlines will start cancelling flights a couple of days before travel in the case of air traffic control strikes, so you have some time to make alternative arrangements. You'll have the option to receive a refund or, if you still want to travel, to choose an alternative flight — although in this case your options may be limited to trains, which you'll need to book yourself.
Unless the airline's staff are on strike, you will not receive any compensation, as anything outside the airline's control is considered an extraordinary circumstance — this includes strikes by air traffic controllers. However, the airline still has a legal obligation to help you.
If your flight is cancelled, the airline needs to provide two options for you: a full refund (including any affected return journeys) reimbursed within seven days, or an alternative flight, including with a rival airline. The replacement flight can be the next available one, or one on a future date. You are within your rights to request a full refund if the alternative flight isn't suitable for you. And if you have a connecting flight and you decide not to travel, the airline must take you back to your original departure point.
Extraordinary circumstances aside, all flights departing from the UK, flights with a UK destination operated by a UK or EU airline, and UK airline-operated flights with an EU destination are covered by UK law regarding refunds and compensation when it comes to delays and cancellations. The legislation was adopted from EU Regulation 261/2004, with any compensation paid in sterling rather than euros.
• Compensation for cancelled and delayed flights: everything you need to know• When does the Etias scheme start for UK travellers? Everything you need to know
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