French air traffic controllers held a two-day strike, heavily impacting flight schedules during the onset of summer holidays. The first day saw 933 flight cancellations, which accounted for about 10 percent of scheduled flights. Passengers at Paris airports faced extensive disruptions, with many unable to leave for planned vacations. The strike was initiated by two minority unions advocating for improved working conditions and staffing. French Prime Minister François Bayrou condemned the timing of the strike as detrimental to holiday travelers, calling it 'shocking'. Further disruptions are expected to continue into the weekend.
"I came here on holiday to celebrate my wife's 40th birthday, but now I'm stuck at Charles de Gaulle Airport," said Julien Barthelemy, a passenger travelling to Marseille from New York, late Thursday.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou described the strike as 'shocking'. 'Choosing the day when everyone goes on holiday to go on strike at air traffic control is taking the French hostage,' he told BFMTV.
France's DGAC aviation authority said 933 flights departing from or arriving at French airports were cancelled on Thursday, some 10 percent of the total number of flights initially scheduled.
The strike will end on July 5th, but there is likely to be knock-on disruption over the weekend.
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