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STRIKES

French air traffic control strike will have ‘huge impact’, travellers warned

With unions expecting large-scale strike participation, 60 percent of flights in and out of France are set to be cancelled as air traffic controllers call a strike to protest against proposed changes to their navigation system.

Published: 22 April 2024 11:53 CEST
Updated: 23 April 2024 21:45 CEST
French air traffic control strike will have 'huge impact', travellers warned
An air traffic control tower at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, in the northeastern outskirts of Paris, amid a strike of air traffic controllers in 2022. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

LATEST: On Wednesday morning, the main union announced that the strike would be called off after reaching an agreement nevertheless French authorities say scores of flights will still have to be cancelled. You can get the latest news HERE.

Unions have called a one-day strike on Thursday, April 25th, but have indicated that they will also file strike notices for May 9th, 10th and 11th – a holiday weekend in France.

The strike is going to be “very strongly followed”, said Pascal de Izaguirre, the head of FNAM, an umbrella group of French aviation industry unions.

“It will have a huge impact,” he said.

The French civil aviation authority said on Tuesday night that 60 percent of flights would be cancelled;

READ ALSO Which airports will be worst affected by the strike?

The SNCTA, the union that represents over 60 percent of air traffic controllers in France, told the French press on Monday that they expected “record turnout”.

“As a result, people should expect major disruption and long delays,” a representative from the SNCTA union told AFP.

Another union, UNSA-UTCAC, had also filed a strike notice for Thursday.

You can keep up with updates at The Local’s strikes section. 

The strike is a 24-hour one but there may be knock-on disruption on Friday – anyone with a flight booked on Thursday should check with their airline before going to the airport.

Disruptions can also affect flights flying over French airspace. 

READ MORE: Your rights on delayed or cancelled flights in France

Why the industrial action?

Unions are protesting against an ‘insulting’ overhaul of air navigation services, a topic that has been under discussion for the past 15 months. Air traffic authorities are seeking to reorganise the work of air traffic controllers to better deal with expected increases in traffic.

However, unions believe that this must also coincide with pay and hiring increases.

A representative for SNTCA told French media that the proposed accompanying measures have been insufficient. They are seeking salary increases of 5.04 percent per year in 2025, 2026 and 2027, as well as the doubling of their ‘special qualification allowance’.

The industrial action comes as a surprise, as the SCNTA had previously agreed to an ‘Olympic truce’.

The agreement was that the union would not call strikes until after conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in exchange for increased pay and a new round of salary discussions after the Games.

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FRANCE WEATHER

Thunderstorms, floods and traffic: France’s last holiday weekend in May 

The final holiday weekend of May in France is set to be marked by bad weather and difficult driving conditions on busy roads.

Published: 17 May 2024 15:44 CEST
Thunderstorms, floods and traffic: France’s last holiday weekend in May 

Monday, May 20th is a holiday for most of France, marking the Christian festival of Pentecost, which means that many people will enjoy a three-day weekend.

This is the last of four public holidays in France in May 2024, now we need to wait until August for another extra day off work (since the Fête National on July 14th falls on a Sunday this year).

So what can we expect for the long weekend? Well, bad weather and heavy traffic, unfortunately.

The Moselle département, in north-east France, was placed on red weather alert on Friday after hours of heavy rain caused flash flooding.

The red weather alert initially runs until 9pm on Friday, with between 80mm and 100mm of rain expected, while between 70mm and 90mm are predicted in the far north of the neighbouring Bas-Rhin, with up to 70mm expected further south – figures national forecaster Météo-France said approached records for daily rainfall figures in the region.

Orange alerts in the area remain in place on Saturday.

Image: Météo-France

Rain and occasional storms, some bringing hail, are expected to develop across large parts of the country throughout the weekend, with only the Mediterranean areas likely to remain dry on Saturday.

Showers and sunny spells will continue into Sunday and Monday, with occasional thunderstorms in the south-west. Temperatures throughout the weekend should rise to between 15C and 22C.

To make family getaways on the final long weekend of the month even more difficult, roads watchdog Bison Futé predicts ‘difficult’, or ‘very difficult’ travel conditions on key routes across the country. 

Image: Bison Fute

On Friday, traffic is expected to be heavy on routes heading away from major cities towards popular holiday destinations until well into the evening – especially on Paris’s Périphérique and the A86 and A6B, the A7, along the Mediterranean Arc and on the Atlantic seaboard (A11, N165 and A63). 

The A13 is likely to remain closed to traffic between Paris and Vaucresson across the holiday weekend, so drivers from the Paris region wishing to reach Normandy are advised to take the A14, A15 or N12

On Saturday, May 18th, conditions on the roads will be difficult nationwide, particularly on roads serving the Mediterranean arc (A7 and A9) and the Atlantic coast (A63 and N165). In the Île-de-France region, traffic will be heavy from early morning onwards on the A6 and A10. From mid-morning onwards, traffic is expected to intensify significantly. 

Image: Bison Fute

Routes converging on the A10 and A6 could also see traffic problems on Saturday, Bison Futé warned.

No major forecastable traffic problems are expected on Sunday – but, on Monday, May 20th, short breakers will be returning home, leading to heavy traffic across the country, notably on A7 and A9, in the Mediterranean region, and routes serving the west of the country.

Traffic will be heavy on the A10 and A6 in the Île-de-France region from late morning into the evening. The A13, which should be open, could also experience traffic problems from mid-afternoon onwards, and could continue to do so well into the evening.

Across the country banks and public administration offices will close. Some independent shops may close, while larger stores and chains are more likely to be open, but probably with altered opening hours.

Most bars, restaurants and cafés will remain open while public transport will run as normal. 

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