French Controllers Warn Of May Strikes; Airlines Asked To Cancel Flights

Air traffic controllers in France have planned a strike for May 1 to protest against a pension reform proposal. Many airports have been told to cancel flights to avoid disruption. The strike is expected to affect both local and passing flights.

France's civil aviation authorities have announced that multiple airports, including the Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris, will be impacted by the impending strike. Other airports like Lyon, Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Nice will also be affected. The strike will also affect flights that are not taking off or landing in France.

Protestors in France will strike again over the raised pension age of 62 to 64. Unions are encouraging people to protest on Monday against President Macron's proposal.

A strike will happen from Sunday evening, April 30, until early morning of Tuesday, May 2. The Direction générale de l’aviation civile (DGAC) asked airlines to cancel some flights. Orly Airport will have 33% of flights cancelled on Monday, while Beauvais and Charles de Gaulle will have 25% cancelled. Disruption is expected. The authorities warn people about this.

In addition, 33% of flights in some French cities like Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Toulouse will be cancelled. Nice will also experience a 25% cancellation rate.

Travelers should delay flights if they can and stay in touch with their air travel service providers. This is because of the wide range of affected zones. Up-to-date information is critical.

France has 3,300 flights that happen daily, and 3,700 more planes pass through their airspace. Because they are in the center of Europe, many planes pass over them. Strikes by French air traffic controllers affect all these planes, including the overflights.

Eurocontrol shared data showing that 15% of flights in Spain were delayed from March 1 to April 9. Most of the delays were for overflights. And, cancellations went up by 63%.

Spain, Germany, Italy, and the UK all had a 15% share of flight cancellations. The majority of these cancellations were due to overflight issues.

In April, strikes caused over 10 million passengers to face delays or cancellations. Almost half of these people were on flights passing through French air space.

EasyJet's CEO Johan Lundgren says that the air traffic controller strike will affect travel to the zone. He urges authorities to address the situation. Lundgren warns that tourists might choose other destinations, likely outside Europe.