French air traffic controllers strike: About 40% of flights cancelled at Paris airports
The national civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel 40% of flights on Friday (July 4, 2025) at Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais airports serving Paris, half of flights in Nice and 30% of flights in Marseille, Lyon and some other cities.
Despite the preventive cancellations, the authority warned in a statement that disruptions and long delays are to be expected at all French airports.
Ryanair was among airlines that announced widespread disruptions, saying in a statement that it cancelled more than 400 flights affecting 70,000 passengers. The company said the strike affects all its flights over French airspace, as well as traffic in and out of French airports, and urged the European Union to reform air traffic rules.
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One of the two unions leading the strike, UNSA-ICNA, said in a statement that there are not enough employees to handle surging air travel and that inflation is eating away at salaries. The unions also are protesting new reform measures aiming to more tightly monitor their work, prompted by a near-collision at the Bordeaux airport.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called the union demands — and their decision to strike just as French schools close for the summer and many families head on vacation — unacceptable.
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First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
France air traffic strike disrupts European flights, over 500,000 affected
The timing of the strike is especially acute, with Friday being the last day of school in France before the summer vacation and many families contemplating an early departure read more A departures information board is seen at Orly airport, near Paris, as French air traffic controllers launched a two-day strike to demand better working conditions. AP On Friday, French air traffic controllers went on strike for the second day in a row, causing hundreds of thousands of travellers to miss flights not just to and from France, but also overflying the country as the summer vacation season begins. Paris airports were hit even harder than on the first day of the strike on Thursday, which was organised by two minority unions demanding improved working conditions and staffing. The timing of the strike is especially acute, with Friday being the last day of school in France before the summer vacation and many families contemplating an early departure. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to France's DGAC aviation authority, 933 flights departing or arriving at French airports were cancelled on Thursday, accounting for around 10% of the total number of flights originally scheduled. At Paris' principal airports, the cancellation rate has risen to 25 percent. Around 1,000 flights were cancelled on Friday morning after the DGAC requested that firms postpone 40% of their flights to deal with the strike. The government has criticised the walkout, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou telling BFMTV that 'choosing the day when everyone goes on holiday to go on strike at air traffic control is taking the French hostage.' 'Unacceptable' Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told CNews that 'yesterday and today, 272 people in our country will impact the well-being of more than 500,000 people'. 'This is unacceptable,' he said. UNSA-ICNA, the second biggest labour group in the sector, launched the action to protest against 'chronic understaffing', the planned introduction of a clock-in system, outdated equipment and 'toxic management practices that are incompatible with the requirements of calm and safety'. It was joined by the third largest union, USAC-CGT but the main union, SNCTA, has not joined the action. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The effects of the strike are not limited to France and the stoppage has triggered hundreds of cancellations of flights that fly over the country. The European Airlines for Europe (A4E) association said 1,500 flights would be cancelled on Thursday and Friday in Europe, affecting 300,000 passengers. 'French air traffic control already delivers some of Europe's worst delay figures and now the actions of a minority of French air traffic control workers will needlessly disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and across Europe,' said A4E chief Ourania Georgoutsakou. The association said the strikes also caused 'almost 500,000 minutes' in delays in Europe on Thursday on nearly 33,000 commercial flights. 'Stuck' Ryanair, Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers, said it had cancelled more than 400 flights. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary urged the EU Commission to protect such overflights by law in case of strikes. 'Of these 400 flight cancellations, 350 would not be cancelled if the EU protected overflights over France,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At Paris airports, passengers stared at departure boards loaded with cancellations to assess their options. 'I came here on holiday to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday, but now I'm stuck at Charles de Gaulle Airport,' said Julien Barthelemy, a passenger travelling to Marseille from New York, late Thursday. 'I'm currently on the waiting list for three flights and am waiting for a spot on the next one to become available.' Lara, 30, was scheduled to take a flight from Paris to Berlin with her partner to visit friends. 'The flight was scheduled for Thursday evening, but we were informed on Wednesday that it had been cancelled. We had been able to get another ticket for free, for Friday evening, but that was also cancelled,' she told AFP, adding they had to buy more expensive train tickets. Around 30 flights at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam were cancelled while others were delayed on Friday due to the strikes, an airport spokesperson said in an email to AFP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Around 30 flights have been cancelled today by airlines as a precaution,' the spokesperson said. 'We expect a return to regular operations this weekend as the strikes are expected to end.' Airline KLM said the strikes have caused operational irregularities including delays and two flight cancellations. 'Where needed customers have been rebooked on the next available flight,' an airline spokesman said.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Strike by French air traffic controllers causes flight delays, cancellations
A strike by French air traffic controllers seeking better working conditions brought chaos at the height of Europe's summer travel season after around 40 per cent of flights to and from Paris were cancelled on Friday. Disruptions started hitting airports across France on Thursday. These intensified Friday as the national civil aviation authority asked airlines to cancel 40 per cent of flights at Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais airports serving Paris, half of flights in Nice and 30 per cent of flights in Marseille, Lyon and some other cities. Despite the preventive cancellations, the authority warned in a statement that "disruptions and long delays are to be expected at all French airports." Paris airports' departure boards were showing a long list of flight delays and cancellations for destinations across France, Europe, North Africa and beyond. Ryanair was among the airlines that announced widespread disruptions, saying in a statement that it had cancelled more than 400 flights affecting 70,000 passengers. The company said the strike affects all its flights over French airspace as well as traffic in and out of French airports, and urged the European Union to reform air traffic rules. Live Events One of the two unions leading the strike, UNSA-ICNA, said in a statement there are not enough employees to handle surging air travel and that inflation is eating away at salaries. The unions are also protesting new reform measures aiming to more tightly monitor their work, prompted by a near-collision at the Bordeaux airport. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called the unions' demands - and their decision to strike just as French schools close for the summer and many families head on vacation - "unacceptable." Mariano Mignola, from Naples, Italy, travelling with his wife and children, had his flight back from Paris cancelled. "Last night, when we checked in, we realised something was wrong. We went to the airport's website and discovered the sad news," he said. "We came here hoping to find a solution, that the company would provide us with accommodation. But instead, nothing." "We have to do everything on our own, but it's impossible" in the midst of holiday departures, Mignola said. "There's nothing available, not even a car to drive back." Parisian Patrick Haus had planned to attend a meeting in Nice, in southern France, but his flight was cancelled. "In a way, I stand in solidarity with the strikers. It's important to know that people don't strike for fun," he said.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Second Day Of Travel Chaos As French Air Traffic Controllers Strike
French air traffic controllers staged the second day of a two-day strike on Friday, prompting the cancellation of flights affecting hundreds of thousands of people not just to-and-from France but also overflying the country as summer holidays kick off. Paris airports were even more severely affected than on the first day of the strike on Thursday, which was called by two minority unions calling for better working conditions and staffing. The timing of the strike is particularly acute with Friday the final day of school in France before the summer holidays and many families planning an early getaway. France's DGAC aviation authority said 933 flights departing from or arriving at French airports were cancelled on Thursday, some 10 percent of the total number of flights initially scheduled. The proportion of cancellations rose to 25 percent at the main airports in Paris. Around 1,000 flights had been cancelled on Friday morning, after the DGAC asked companies to cancel 40 percent of flights to deal with the strike. The government has condemned the strike, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou telling BFMTV that "choosing the day when everyone goes on holiday to go on strike at air traffic control is taking the French hostage." 'Unacceptable' Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told CNews that "yesterday and today, 272 people in our country will impact the well-being of more than 500,000 people". "This is unacceptable," he said. UNSA-ICNA, the second biggest labour group in the sector, launched the action to protest against "chronic understaffing", the planned introduction of a clock-in system, outdated equipment and "toxic management practices that are incompatible with the requirements of calm and safety". It was joined by the third largest union, USAC-CGT but the main union, SNCTA, has not joined the action. The effects of the strike are not limited to France and the stoppage has triggered hundreds of cancellations of flights that fly over the country. The European Airlines for Europe (A4E) association said 1,500 flights would be cancelled on Thursday and Friday in Europe, affecting 300,000 passengers. "French air traffic control already delivers some of Europe's worst delay figures and now the actions of a minority of French air traffic control workers will needlessly disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and across Europe," said A4E chief Ourania Georgoutsakou. The association said the strikes also caused "almost 500,000 minutes" in delays in Europe on Thursday on nearly 33,000 commercial flights. 'Stuck' Ryanair, Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers, said it had cancelled more than 400 flights. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary urged the EU Commission to protect such overflights by law in case of strikes. "Of these 400 flight cancellations, 350 would not be cancelled if the EU protected overflights over France," he said. At Paris airports, passengers stared at departure boards loaded with cancellations to assess their options. "I came here on holiday to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday, but now I'm stuck at Charles de Gaulle Airport," said Julien Barthelemy, a passenger travelling to Marseille from New York, late Thursday. "I'm currently on the waiting list for three flights and am waiting for a spot on the next one to become available." Lara, 30, was scheduled to take a flight from Paris to Berlin with her partner to visit friends. "The flight was scheduled for Thursday evening, but we were informed on Wednesday that it had been cancelled. We had been able to get another ticket for free, for Friday evening, but that was also cancelled," she told AFP, adding they had to buy more expensive train tickets. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
