Airlines have to manage with an industrial action of part of French Air Traffic Controllers.
French air traffic controllers staged the second day of a two-day strike on Friday, July 4, prompting the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
France’s DGAC aviation authority said 933 flights departing from or arriving at French airports were canceled on Thursday, some 10% of the total number of flights initially scheduled.
But the cancelled flights are not just to and from France, but also overflying the country. Flights from Ireland or UK to Portugal or Spain territories have to make extra route to avoid LFRR Brest FIR.
“These strikes are unacceptable,” said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, urging the EU Commission to protect such overflights by law in case of strikes. “Of these 400 flight cancellations, 350 would not be canceled if the EU protected overflights over France.”
