Ryanair has cancelled over 170 flights due to a two-day strike by French air traffic controllers, impacting more than 30,000 passengers traveling to and from France.
Ryanair Grounds Flights for 30,000 Passengers Amid French Air Traffic Control Strike
Ryanair Grounds Flights for 30,000 Passengers Amid French Air Traffic Control Strike
French strike disrupts holiday travel plans for thousands, with Ryanair at the center of cancellations.
The ongoing air traffic control strike in France has wreaked havoc on travel plans, leading to significant cancellations across Europe. Budget airline Ryanair announced the cancellation of over 170 flights, directly affecting the journeys of more than 30,000 travelers. The strike, led by two French unions, has resulted in a quarter of flights being suspended at Paris's major airports and halved operations at Nice airport over two days.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot criticized the unions' strike actions during the peak holiday season, deeming their demands unacceptable. In a statement, Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, expressed anger over the air traffic controllers' actions, accusing them of "holding European families to ransom" and urging the European Commission to intervene to maintain flight operations during such strikes.
The French civil aviation authority, DGAC, has mandated airlines to decrease their flight schedules at various airports as a precautionary measure, with further disruptions anticipated on Friday as 40% of flights from Paris airports could be affected.
The UNSA-ICNA union initiated the strike to address several concerns including staffing shortages, management practices, and the implementation of a contentious clock-in system. Efforts to negotiate with the DGAC earlier in the week did not yield any solutions.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), the primary advocacy group for airlines in Europe, condemned the strike as "intolerable," warning it would severely impact travel during the crucial holiday season. EasyJet, another low-cost airline affected, expressed profound disappointment and called for a swift resolution to the issues at hand.
Despite the cancellations, Ryanair noted that they still managed to operate over 109,000 flights in June, indicating that less than 1% of their overall operations were affected by the strike and ongoing conflicts in other regions.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot criticized the unions' strike actions during the peak holiday season, deeming their demands unacceptable. In a statement, Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, expressed anger over the air traffic controllers' actions, accusing them of "holding European families to ransom" and urging the European Commission to intervene to maintain flight operations during such strikes.
The French civil aviation authority, DGAC, has mandated airlines to decrease their flight schedules at various airports as a precautionary measure, with further disruptions anticipated on Friday as 40% of flights from Paris airports could be affected.
The UNSA-ICNA union initiated the strike to address several concerns including staffing shortages, management practices, and the implementation of a contentious clock-in system. Efforts to negotiate with the DGAC earlier in the week did not yield any solutions.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), the primary advocacy group for airlines in Europe, condemned the strike as "intolerable," warning it would severely impact travel during the crucial holiday season. EasyJet, another low-cost airline affected, expressed profound disappointment and called for a swift resolution to the issues at hand.
Despite the cancellations, Ryanair noted that they still managed to operate over 109,000 flights in June, indicating that less than 1% of their overall operations were affected by the strike and ongoing conflicts in other regions.
