Strike by French air traffic controllers disrupts summer travel

According to a NewsVista reporter, air travel across Western Europe descended into chaos on Thursday, June 20, as French air traffic controllers launched a major strike demanding better working conditions and more staffing.

The two-day industrial action, led by UNSA-ICNA and backed by USAC-CGT, has disrupted the summer holiday travel plans of tens of thousands — with Ryanair alone cancelling 170 flights and grounding over 30,000 passengers.

“This is outrageous — European families are once again being held hostage,” said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, venting frustration as flight delays and cancellations piled up.

France’s DGAC civil aviation authority responded by ordering flight cuts to keep operations manageable. At least 25% of flights in and out of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports were scrapped, while 30% of flights were axed in southern cities like Nice, Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier.

Nice Airport reported average delays of 1.5 hours for arrivals and 1 hour for departures by mid-morning, and the situation is expected to worsen ahead of Friday’s school holiday rush.

Eurocontrol, the continent’s airspace watchdog, warned of “significant delays” in airspace controlled from Marseille, Brest, and Reims, while business jets at Le Bourget and Nice also took a hit.

Despite the disruption, striking controllers say their demands are justified — but French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot slammed the timing as “unacceptable.”

With just 270 out of France’s 1,400 air traffic controllers walking out, this minority move has still managed to paralyze one of Europe’s busiest travel hubs — and there’s no clear end in sight.