Airlines are warning that flights to and from France and flights which pass through French airspace may be affected by the latest round of strikes due to take place on 16 November 2017.
A general strike has been called for by French Unions in protest to changes to the country’s labour laws. Unions which represent French air traffic controllers, the USAC-CGT and CGT, have announced that they will support the strikes which are expected to run from 6pm on Wednesday, 15 November 2017 through to 5am on Friday, 17 November 2017.
Ryanair have announced flight cancellations due to the action while EasyJet and Jet2 have said that they are planning to operate their flight programs as normal. “We don’t yet know the impact this will have on flights flying over France at these times”, say Jet2. “Customers are advised to check in for the normal departure time for all flights.”
Irish carrier Ryanair have said, “We regret to advise customers that due to an air traffic control strike in France on 16th Nov, we have been forced to cancel a small number number of flights. Customers will be updated on their flight status via email and / or the mobile phone number provided at time of booking. Ryanair sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by these unjustified ATC disruptions which are entirely outside of our control.”
EasyJet has said, “We have been advised of a National Strike in France on Thursday 16th November. Like all airlines, our flights to and from French airports, as well as those flying in French airspace, could be affected. We plan to operate our full flying programme to and from France on Thursday. However there is the potential of delays on the day due to the industrial action, therefore we advise all customers to check the status of their flight on our flight tracker either on our mobile app or website. Please also be aware that public transport services may be affected by the strike. We recommend all customers allow plenty of extra time to get to the airport and consider alternative transport options where possible. Although this situation is outside of our control we would like to appologise to any affected passengers for the inconvenience caused.”
