Airports across France will be affected by an air traffic control strike that is due to take place today, Friday (September 16).
The country’s aviation authority, Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC), has asked airlines to halve their flight schedules for the day to limit disruption.
The DGAC has also called on travellers to delay their journeys if possible, reports Connexion.
The cancellations are expected to affect flights from 06h00 on Friday until 06h00 on Saturday (September 17). The airlines that are most likely to be affected are Air France, easyJet, Ryanair, Transavia, and Volotea. But there could be a knock-on affect on other airlines.
Air France has reduced it short- and medium- haul services to just 45% of its flight schedule for the day, with 90 % of its long-haul services due to go ahead as planned. But the airline has also said that it cannot rule out the possibility of any last-minute delays or cancellations. It is not known if flights to or from South Africa are affected.
Air France has said travellers would be alerted to any changes to the flight schedule via text message or email.
Because the strike is by airport staff, the delays and cancellations are out of the airline’s control and, as a result, travellers may not be entitled to compensation.
The strike comes as the French government prepares to unveil its 2023 budget, which the union, Syndicat national des contrôleurs du trafic aérien (SNCTA), says fails to guarantee financing, potentially limiting its ability to offer pay hikes. Calls for pay increases by SNCTA have already not been met, despite the country’s high inflation rate.
If an agreement is not reached after Friday, a second strike is planned for September 28 to 30.
