Ryanair has announced that over 30,000 of its passengers have been affected by a two-day strike by French air traffic controllers, leading to the cancellation of more than 170 flights scheduled for Thursday and Friday. This strike, initiated by two French unions over poor working conditions, has not only disrupted flights to and from France but has also had a ripple effect on flights traversing French airspace heading to the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Greece.
French Transport Minister, Philippe Tabarot, has criticized the unions' actions as unacceptable, especially during a peak time for holiday travelers. Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, condemned the strike as unfair to European vacationers, urging the European Commission to intervene and ensure minimum service levels during such labor disputes.
Due to the strike, the French civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cut back on schedules at multiple airports, with a significant 40% reduction anticipated at Paris’s main airports. The strike was prompted by staffing shortages and management issues, including a controversial new clock-in system. Talks held earlier with the DGAC did not lead to any resolutions. Airlines for Europe has labeled the strike as "intolerable," and fellow budget airline EasyJet has echoed disappointment, calling for a swift resolution. Despite these cancellations, Ryanair noted it operated over 109,000 flights in June, signaling that less than 1% were impacted by the disruptions.
