Air Traffic Controllers’ Strike in France Grounds Thousands of Passengers 

Two French air traffic controllers (ATCs) unions went on strike Thursday to protest challenging working conditions, leaving thousands of passengers using French airports or airspace grounded during the first weekend of local summer holidays, Euronews reported. 

The strike is expected to continue, possibly over the weekend, disrupting the busiest period for tourism in France, which sees almost 90 million tourists annually. July and August are also the key months for the French to take vacation. 

The UNSA-ICNA union, the second-largest union for ATCs in France, organized the strike, citing “toxic” and “authoritarian” management, and calling for an increase in staff and salaries.  

USAC-CGT, the third-largest union, also went on strike on Thursday.  

The French Civil Aviation Authority has requested airports across the country to reduce the number of flights they usually handle, leading to flights at Paris’ airports to be cut by a quarter on Thursday and by 40 percent on Friday.  

Airports in the south of France will be among the worst affected: On Thursday, more than half of all flights using Nice airport were cancelled. 

Low-cost airlines Ryanair and EasyJet said they had to cut 170 and 274 flights, respectively.  

Meanwhile, some flights over France to the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, and Ireland have been affected. 

Strikes by European ATCs have become increasingly common, Politico noted.  

“High demand puts considerable pressure on Air Navigation Service Providers, some of whom continue to struggle with staff and capacity shortages,” European Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas said, adding that governments should start “hiring and training additional controllers where needed.” 

Some ATCs are grappling with 40 percent more flights than six years ago, said Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management body.  

However, training to become an ATC takes three years.