Europe’s airlines cancel flights ahead of French air traffic control strikes
European air passengers will be hit with widespread delays and cancellations today and during the rest of the week as the French air traffic controllers hold their fourth strike in the space of a year.
France’s aviation authority has asked airlines to cancel a fifth of flights passing through most major French airports.
The body warned passengers yesterday that “disturbances are possible throughout the territory” as a result of the walkouts, which will end on Sunday.
Ryanair yesterday scrapped 26 services and warned more could be axed on the day. The airline’s marketing boss Kenny Jacobs called for the EU Commission to strip the air traffic controllers of the right to strike “to stop Europe being held to ransom by a small number of air traffic controllers every summer”.
British Airways said “the level of disruption is likely to fluctuate” and could lead to delays on any service that flies over France, while EasyJet said it was scrapping a quarter of its French flights.