French air traffic strike grounds flights for 30,000 travellers

A walkout by French air traffic controllers on Thursday and Friday has grounded services across France, disrupting tens of thousands of journeys and flight schedules around Europe.

Low‑cost carrier Ryanair said it had axed more than 170 flights, upsetting the holiday plans of over 30,000 customers. The two‑day protest, organised by two unions over working condition grievances, has wiped out roughly a quarter of services at Paris’s main airports and half of those at Nice.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot rejected both the nature of the unions’ demands and the timing of the stoppage, calling it “unacceptable” during a peak getaway period.

Ryanair warned that the action was spilling beyond France’s borders, delaying flights that merely transit French skies en route to the UK, Ireland, Spain, Greece and other destinations. Chief Executive Michael O’Leary accused controllers of “holding European families to ransom”. He added that “it makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers going on holidays”, urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take “urgent action” to guarantee minimum service levels during strikes and shield overflights from domestic disputes.

France’s civil aviation authority, the DGAC, has ordered carriers to trim schedules at multiple airports and foresees deeper disruption on Friday, when Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais are expected to handle about 40 % fewer flights.

The UNSA‑ICNA union says staffing shortages, managerial issues and a proposed compulsory clock‑in system for controllers triggered the walkout. Talks with the DGAC earlier in the week failed to break the deadlock.

Airlines for Europe (A4E), the region’s main carrier association, branded the protest “intolerable” and warned it would wreak havoc on summer itineraries. EasyJet, another budget airline caught in the disruption, voiced “deep disappointment” and pressed for a swift settlement.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, CEO of UK-based Advantage Travel Partnership, advised travellers to speak with their travel agent or check their flight status online before travelling to the airport. 

“Under UK Law, when flights are delayed or cancelled, airlines have a duty to look after their passengers be that by providing meals, accommodation with an obligation of getting you to your destination as soon as possible, even if that’s on an alternative airline,” she said.

“However, customers can also choose to have a full refund if this is preferred. Extra compensation however tends to be offered when the airline is at fault.”