Air traffic controller strike leads to disruptions in France and Europe
Published: Monday, Nov 20th 2023, 17:40
Retour au fil d'actualité
An air traffic controller strike in France on Monday led to cancellations and delays. Some flights merely crossing French airspace were also slowed down. There were no flight cancellations for the airline Swiss, only a few delays.
Swiss does not expect any far-reaching effects until the end of the strike, the airline said on Monday evening when asked by the Keystone-SDA news agency. The airline does not expect to have to cancel any flights.
The Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) had previously asked Paris-Orly and Toulouse airports to reduce the number of flights by 25 percent. In Bordeaux and Marseille, 20 percent of flights were to be canceled. However, other airports and flights on the way from Germany to Spain, for example, which only fly over France, were also affected.
The airline Ryanair called on the EU to protect overflight rights and the freedom of movement of EU citizens during the air traffic controllers' strike. This year, air traffic has already been disrupted on 65 days by strikes by French air traffic controllers, which has led to the cancellation of thousands of flights from Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland and the UK.
During the strikes, fewer pilots were working and fewer flights were being handled, the airline emphasized. France had given preference to flights within France during emergency operations during the strikes, which was unfair. During such strikes, Paris must protect overflight rights for aircraft that are only flying over the country on their way to another destination, Ryanair demanded.
The current strike by French air traffic controllers was directed against a government decision that requires air traffic controllers to give 48 hours' individual notice of whether or not they will take part in a strike. This is intended to make air traffic restrictions more predictable and reduce them.
©Keystone/SDA
French 
English 
German 
Spanish 
Arabic