A strike by French air-traffic controllers has had more than 20,000 Ryanair passengers cancel their flights this Tuesday causing major travel disruption. The actions by members of the USAC-CGT union are also likely to affect many other passengers.
They are stopping work as part of a nationwide walk-out which constitutes the first major challenge to President Macron’s sweeping labour reforms. According to the union, the proposed law will prove dangerous for both the employees and the representatives.
Passengers hoping to fly from Ryanair’s main UK base, Stansted, to Barcelona, Bergerac, Blagnac, Bordeaux Limoges, Madrid, Marseille, Palma and Perpignan, or on the return legs, are now trying to find seats on alternative flights. Luton-Nimes, Manchester-Ibiza, Leeds/Bradford-Palma and East Midlands-Barcelona are the other casualties who are affected by the strike.
Ryanair has warned that there might be further flight delays and cancellations. Kenny Jacobs, the marketing director said that if the French Government s serious about changing France, they should start by tackling these air traffic control unions and together with the European Commission, should take immediate action to prevent thousands of European consumers from having their travel plans disrupted by a tiny group of ATC unions going on strike once again.
More than a dozen of flights have been cancelled by the British Airways following the air-traffic control restrictions over France. The four services linking London with Barcelona and with Nice have been grounded, along with round-trips from Heathrow to Marseille and Lyon. BA said that the other short haul flights may also experience some disruption, given how many flights from numerous European airlines would normally use French airspace each day.
easyJet also said that like all other airlines, their flight could also be affected while flying in French airspace. Motorists travelling through Calais or Dunkirk ports or the Channel Tunnel are urged to “allow extra time for your journey”
