Low-cost carrier Ryanair has again called for change after the low-cost carrier was forced to cancel over 300 flights due to the impact of French air traffic control strikes, with traffic overflying the country adversely affected by the action.
Despite having reached a last-minute agreement with unions (following 15 months of negotiations) to call off impending strike action set to take place on Thursday April 26, the French DGAC explained that ‘cancellations and delays are expected’ from Wednesday evening until Friday morning, with air traffic to be ‘disrupted on departure and arrival from all French airports, and more from Paris-Orly, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Marseille.
French minister for transport Patrice Vergriete said he was “delighted” with the agreement reached with SNCTA, the majority union representing air traffic controllers, which represents a “historic modernization of French air traffic control” and one which “will in the future limit delays during peak traffic periods and further improve user safety”.
However, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary repeated his calls for EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to “take urgent action to protect overflights,” adding: “French air traffic controllers are free to go on strike, that’s their right, but we should be cancelling French flights” above other scheduled services.
Ryanair also called on the EU Commission to protect French overflights by law ‘as they do in Greece, Italy and Spain,’ and to allow Europe’s other ATCs to ‘manage flights over France while French ATC are on strike’.
Ryanair cancels over 300 flights due to French ATC strike
