Holiday warning as airlines forced to cancel flights for 40,000 passengers because of strikes – is your trip affected
AIR traffic controller (ATC) strikes in France have forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights – even if they aren’t flying in or out of the country.
The walkouts began last night (April 30) and will last until tomorrow morning (May 2), causing disruption for passengers flying throughout the May bank holiday.
Around 40,000 passengers are expected to be disrupted, according to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, who described the situation as “completely unacceptable”.
In a video on the company’s Facebook page, he said: “The French authorities have told us we must cancel another 220 flights, most of them are overflying France.
“That means another 40,000 passengers on the May bank holiday weekend are going to have their flights cancelled because of French ATC strikes.”
The strikes will not only affect flights in and out of France, but those flying overhead as well, with air traffic controllers required to make contact with planes flying through French airspace.
Therefore, flights from the UK to Spain, Italy or elsewhere could be affected, just as much as a flight direct to Paris.
O’Leary said that it was an unfair situation to put travellers in.
He continued: “It is unfair that flights from the UK to Spain or from Italy to Portugal are being cancelled simply because a bunch of French air traffic control units want to go on strike.
“We respect their right to strike, but if they want to strike, cancel the French flights, protect the overflights.”
The UK government has warned people about travelling to France on the affected days and has advised checking flights with airlines.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said there would be “coordinated industrial action on Monday 1 May, affecting multiple sectors including transport networks.
“Industrial action may start the evening before the strike day and run for several days.
“Check the latest advice with operators before travelling.”
The French civil aviation authority has said the action will affect Paris’ Orly, Charles de Gaulle and Beauvais airports, as well as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice.
But warned that passengers could also be affected even if they’re simply flying through French airspace.
The walkouts are the latest in a series of strikes revolving around an increase in the pension age from 62 to 64.
It’s not only strikes in France that are causing Ryanair to cancel flights.
The airline has also announced that it will most likely trim some flights in August, because new planes they ordered from Boeing are late.
Eddie Wilson, a senior executive at Ryanair, explained that Boeing has not yet provided a detailed delivery schedule for the new planes, so they are expecting to scrap some flights on busy routes this summer.
Even so, Wilson remains hopeful that fewer than ten planes will be affected by manufacturing issues, out of its fleet of over 550.
Speaking at a conference in Germany, he said: “We’ll be able to absorb this in terms of frequency reduction.
“It won’t be material, it won’t affect people, because all the bookings aren’t in for August.”
Meanwhile, here’s how much you’re owed for cancelled or delayed flights – and what to do if airlines won’t pay up.
And these are the two flights you should book to avoid airport delays.