Air Traffic Controllers’ Strike in France Disrupts European Flights
This week, a significant strike was initiated by the UNSA-ICNA union, France’s second-largest association of air traffic controllers, with participation from the USAC-CGT union, the third-largest. On Thursday, approximately 270 controllers, out of a total of 1,400, participated in the walkout, causing widespread disruptions, reports 24brussels.
The airlines expressed concern over the French authorities’ inability to ensure the safety of aircraft flying over the country during the strike, which has resulted in cancellations and delays affecting air travel across Europe.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary condemned the disruptions, stating, “It is indefensible that today that I’m canceling flights from Ireland to Italy, from Germany to Spain, from Portugal to Poland.” He placed the blame not only on the French air traffic controllers but also on the European Union, specifically targeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
According to O’Leary, Ryanair faced 400 cancellations linked to the strike, with 360 of those flights—90 percent—potentially able to operate if the European Commission provided adequate protection for overflights, a practice already observed by Spain, Italy, and Greece during similar strikes.
“Von der Leyen and the Commission made a big song and dance during Brexit about: ‘We must protect the single market, the single market is sacrosanct, nothing would be allowed to disrupt the single market,’” O’Leary asserted. “Unless you’re a French air traffic controller and you can shut down the sky over France.”
