Lots of flights canceled: France’s air traffic controller strike brakes 500,000 travelers

According to France Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot, the air traffic controller strike in France brakes over 500,000 travelers at the start of the summer vacation. Out of 1,000 air traffic controllers planned to serve, 272 took part in the strike, the minister told CNEWS. “You have to make it clear that yesterday and today 272 people in our country will influence the well -being of more than 500,000 people. That is unacceptable.” In addition to flights from and from France, connections are also affected that only fly over France.

The European lobbying organization “Airlines for Europe” (A4E) condemned the strike during one of the most busy moments of the summer vacation. “This strike is intolerable. French air traffic control is already one of the worst delay balance in Europe, and now the strike of a minority of French air traffic controllers will unnecessarily disturb the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and all of Europe,” said A4e Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou.

Air traffic controllers protest against presence control

France’s national aviation association (FNAM) criticized the failure of thousands of flights, which gives the airlines dozens of millions of euros in losses and spoke of an unnecessary strike. A costly three-year agreement was only taken a year ago and the main claim of the striking air traffic controllers was to ward off measures that are intended to increase flight safety. It is about a presence control of the air traffic controllers in the control towers.

As the aviation association announced, French air traffic control has accumulated most strike days (over 300) in the past 20 years, far ahead of Greece (50 days) and Italy (40 days). French air traffic control is responsible for a third of the delays in European airspace.