Airlines forced to cancel hundreds of flights across Europe
HUNDREDS of flights across Europe have been cancelled due to continued strike action across the continent.
Brits travelling via both France and Germany are to be affected this week.
Air traffic controllers in France staged a walkout last night, starting from 6pm on February 15 and lasting until tomorrow, ending at 6am.
Airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and BA have all been forced to cancel flights due to the strike.
An easyJet spokesperson said: “Airlines have been requested by the French authorities to make cancellations to their flying programmes on Thursday 16 February.”
And Ryanair said they would have to cancel “a small number of flights”.
Even Brits not travelling to France could be affected due a number of routes using French airspace.
One fuming passenger slammed Ryanair, writing on social media: “As well as cancelling our flight you’ve ruined the last day and a half of our 4 day trip as we now have to ready ourselves for full day of travelling across France.”
It is the fifth air traffic controller strike in France this year, and is part of wider strike action across the country in response to the pension age being raised from 62 to 64.
Strikes are also planned across Germany this week.
Staff across seven airports in the country will walk out tomorrow, with passengers warned to expect “massive disruptions”.
German trade union Verdi on Wednesday called on workers at Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dortmund, Hanover and Bremen airports to go on a 24-hour strike, saying collective bargaining efforts had made little progress.
Both Hamburg Airport and Munich Airport confirmed no flights would operate on Friday, affecting hundreds of flights.
Frankfurt Airport, the largest in the country, said flights would be “heavily disrupted”.
They added: “Passengers are strongly advised to refrain from travelling to the airport.”
It comes just hours after Frankfurt Airport was forced to close after an IT shortage grounded all Lufthansa flights.
And UK Border Force strikes are putting Easter holiday break at risk.
Here is what you should do if your flight is cancelled.