A strike by French air traffic controllers led to the cancellation of approximately 40% of flights at Paris airports on Friday, forcing tens of thousands of travelers to scramble to rearrange their plans just as the summer holiday season begins.
Disruptions began on Thursday and escalated into Friday, impacting airports across the country. The French Civil Aviation Authority ordered airlines to cancel 40% of flights at the capital’s main airports—Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais—as well as half of the flights in Nice and around 30% in Marseille, Lyon, and other cities.
Despite these preventive cancellations, the authority warned that “disruptions and long delays are expected at all French airports.”
Ryanair was among the most affected carriers, canceling over 400 flights and impacting around 70,000 passengers. The airline stated that the strike disrupted not only flights to and from France, but also those passing through French airspace. It called on the European Union to reform air traffic control regulations.
UNSA-ICNA, one of the unions leading the strike, argued that there are not enough staff to handle increasing air traffic and that inflation is eroding workers’ wages. The union is also protesting new reform measures aimed at stricter monitoring of controllers, prompted by a near-miss incident at Bordeaux airport.
The French government swiftly responded. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot labeled the union’s demands—and their decision to strike just as schools close for the summer and many families head on vacation—as “unacceptable.”
