Up to 600 flights a day to be cancelled during French strike, Ryanair says

"Ryanair could cancel up to 600 flights a day next week due to French air traffic control (ATC) strikes, the airline has claimed. The company's chief executive, Michael O'Leary, has reiterated demands to the EU to protect overflights in a long-running campaign to minimise the disruption from ATC strikes. The strikes mean flights from the UK to France and holiday destinations such as Spain, Italy and Greece will be affected, as those routes overfly France."

"We cannot have a situation in the EU where we have a single market yet we close that market every time the French go on strike. They have the right to strike, but if flights are to be cancelled they should be flights arriving to and from France. They should not be overflights. We're calling again on Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president If she's not willing to defend the single market, if she's not willing to protect overflights, then she should go."

"Airlines will not know exactly how many flights they need to cancel until the action is confirmed and almost under way, but O'Leary said he expects Ryanair to be told to cancel up to 600 daily, affecting up to 100,000 passengers. Other airlines have yet to put a figure on the potential disruption. About 30 Ryanair flights were cancelled on Thursday, including some overflying France, due a strike by smaller unions."

French air traffic control strikes could force Ryanair to cancel as many as 600 flights a day next week, with routes that overfly France to the UK, Spain, Italy and Greece affected. The SNCTA has announced strike action from 7-10 October, reducing capacity across western European airspace. Airlines will not know exact cancellation numbers until the action is confirmed, but Ryanair expects up to 100,000 passengers could be affected. About 30 Ryanair flights were recently cancelled by smaller unions, and more than 190 flights, carrying 35,000 passengers, were delayed during an 18 September strike. Michael O'Leary called on EU leaders to protect overflights and suggested Eurocontrol could manage them during strikes.

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