Due to French Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes, Ryanair has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights today. The walkouts have not only impacted French airports, where up to 70% of flights have been grounded, but also routes flying over the country. France’s DGAC civil aviation authority requested airlines to cancel 75% of Thursday’s flights at Paris Orly airport, 55% of flights at Paris Charles-De-Gaulle, and 65% of flights at Marseille. Similar industrial action in France often disrupts European travel, affecting not only flights into France but also those transiting its airspace.
Ryanair has announced over 300 flight cancellations today due to the strikes, affecting approximately 50,000 passengers. These include routes from Great Britain to Spain and Italy. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has urged the EU Commission to safeguard routes flying over France during such walkouts. He emphasized that French air traffic controllers have the right to strike, but flight cancellations should be limited to those within France, not those departing from other countries or transiting French airspace.
O’Leary criticized the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen for failing to protect overflights and the single market for air travel. He implored the Commission to act swiftly to protect overflights, which could eliminate over 90% of flight cancellations. O’Leary also called on European citizens to use the upcoming European elections to pressure MEPs into finding a solution to the issue.
The strikes have also raised concerns about potential disruptions to the Paris Olympics, where over a million travelers are expected to visit the city. Ryanair has proposed three measures to minimize disruption during future strikes: protecting flights over France, improving coordination between air traffic control centers, and enhancing passenger compensation and assistance.
Other airlines have also been affected by the strikes. EasyJet has been forced to cancel a number of flights, and a spokesperson has advised customers of flight changes or refund options. The aviation industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E) has warned of significant disruptions to parts of Europe and France today. They estimate that last year, air traffic control strikes in Europe resulted in 16,000 flight cancellations and 85,000 delays.
