IATA DG and CEO Tony Tyler has strongly condemned a six-day strike by French ATC personnel.
In a statement, Tyler said: “Unions bent on stopping progress are putting at risk the hard-earned vacations of millions of travelers, and from the public’s perspective, the timing of the strike could even be regarded as malicious. In additional to vacationers, business people undertaking important trips, and those awaiting urgent shipments will all face hassles and uncertain waits as flights are cancelled, delayed or diverted around a major portion of European airspace.”
The strike is set to begin on June 24th, and will coincide with the first major travel weekend of the European summer holiday season.
The strikes are a protest against reforms planned by the EU’s Single European Sky (SES) project.
Tyler added: “We expect France to keep its commitment to deliver the SES. It must not buckle under the pressure of a privileged few controllers seeking to protect themselves from the ‘efficiency’ that every other industry and worker is challenged to achieve. And we urge the French government to make a strong intervention to protect travellers from this malicious and unjustified strike action.”