As the summer holiday season gets underway, travel plans for thousands of passengers have run into some unexpected headwinds.
A strike by French air traffic controllers is causing widespread disruption across the country, with cancellations rippling through airports from the sunny Mediterranean coast to the bustling Paris region.
On Thursday, holidaymakers at Nice Airport – France’s third busiest – faced a frustrating start, as half of all flights were grounded.
A similar fate met passengers in Bastia and Calvi, while airports in Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Ajaccio and Figari saw around 30 percent of flights cancelled.
In Paris, where Charles de Gaulle and Orly typically handle up to 350,000 passengers daily during peak summer, a quarter of flights were cancelled, with Beauvais Airport – popular with low-cost carriers – facing the same fate.
More staff, better conditions
The disruption stems from industrial action launched by Unsa-Icna, France’s second-largest air traffic controllers’ union, backed by Usac-CGT.
Together, they represent a third of the workforce and are demanding better working conditions and more staffing.
By Thursday, around 270 of the country’s 1,400 air traffic controllers had downed tools.
In response, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) took preventative measures, ordering airlines to cut flights to ensure safety in the skies.
But the turbulence isn’t over yet – Friday is expected to bring even more severe disruptions, especially at Paris airports and Beauvais, where the DGAC has mandated a 40 percent reduction in flights.
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European destinations impacted
The knock-on effects are expected to be felt across Western Europe, given France’s key geographical role in European airspace.
Airlines for Europe – representing industry giants such as Air France-KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, EasyJet and Ryanair – didn’t hold back, calling the strikes “intolerable” and warning of widespread impact on holiday plans.
Business travel isn’t immune either, with high-traffic hubs like Nice and Le Bourget also bearing the brunt.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot has taken a firm stance, rejecting the unions’ demands.
“The timing of this strike, just as families head off on their holidays, is simply unacceptable,” he said.
At the heart of the dispute is a government-led reform introducing check-in systems for air traffic controllers – a safety measure prompted by a near-miss incident at Bordeaux Airport in 2022.
Tabarot insists this change is non-negotiable: “This is about flight safety. I won’t compromise on such a critical issue.”
Air France cancels more than half of flights as controllers strike
Rescheduling and refunds
In the meantime, airlines are doing their best to cushion the blow.
Air France and its low-cost sibling Transavia are notifying affected passengers individually, offering options to reschedule flights at no extra cost or receive full refunds.
Unions, however, argue that the problems run deeper.
Unsa-Icna cited “chronic understaffing,” outdated systems, and poor management as key concerns affecting both safety and working conditions.
Despite the current turmoil, the largest union, SNCTA – which represents 60 percent of controllers – has opted not to join the strike.
