Tens of thousands of passengers are affected by a strike by French air traffic control on Friday.
Ryanair has canceled 420 flights, most of which were due to fly through France, affecting 80,000 passengers.
EasyJet is canceling 76 flights, British Airways 22, while Air France said it would only operate 45% of its short-haul flights.
Air traffic control union SNCTA said the strike affects wages, rising inflation and hiring.
The canceled flights include many flying via France, not just those to and from the country.
Ryanair said all affected passengers had been notified this morning. The low-cost carrier typically operates more than 3,000 flights per day.
Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s operations director, said it was “inexplicable” that thousands of European citizens and visitors would “unfairly disrupt their travel plans”.
“It is unforgivable that passengers who are not even flying to or from France are being disrupted,” he said.
He said French laws protect French domestic flights but not those flying across the country.
“It’s time for the European Union to step in and protect overflights so European passengers aren’t repeatedly held for ransom by a tiny French air traffic control union,” he said.
Ryanair demanded that other European air traffic controllers be allowed to manage flights over France to mitigate the impact.
Budget competitor EasyJet said it canceled flights at the request of French authorities.
EasyJet said: “While this is out of our control, we would like to apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this may cause.”
British Airways will cancel 22 flights – or 11 return flights – to and from Heathrow, including some flying via France. It also said there could be additional delays that day.
Air France KLM said France’s civil aviation authority – DGAC – has urged airlines to cut their Friday schedules by 50% from all French airports.
Air France said it will only operate 45% of its short- and medium-haul flights and 90% of long-haul flights. It also warned of delays and last-minute cancellations that could not be ruled out.
Aviation expert John Strickland said French air traffic control “covers a significant area within European airspace”.
“Given France’s geographical location, most flights from the UK and Ireland to Spain and Portugal would normally fly through France and be controlled by its air traffic control service.”
He said the strike would mean some services would have to make long detours through French airspace.
Mr Strickland added that it is not “a simple matter for other countries to fill the gap” as labor is scarce and there is therefore little or no capacity to do so, “not to mention the complexity or impossibility of handling additional flights.” , if they are already busy airspace”.
In announcing the strike yesterday, the SNCTA union cited “the lack of a guarantee for hiring for 2023 and beyond” and said “the lack of a pay rise cannot be justified in the face of rising inflation”.
The flight cuts affect all of France and will affect several airlines, the DGAC said, adding that it is currently working with Europe’s air traffic regulator, Eurocontrol, to help airlines avoid the country’s airspace.
Strikes across the airline industry caused severe disruption to Europe’s summer traffic, including ground and cabin crew demanding pay rises to cope with rising costs of living amid high inflation.
In July, multiple strikes by firefighters and employees at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport led to cancellations and delays.
Separately, British Airways announced on Monday it would cancel 100 flights “as a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral”.
Virgin Atlantic said four U.S. flights were affected by cancellations Sunday and Monday.
Heathrow said arrivals and departures would be suspended for parts of Monday afternoon “as a mark of respect for the solemnity of this sad and unique occasion” and flights would be diverted around Windsor Castle “to reduce noise during the private family church service and funeral minimize”.
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