A strike by air traffic controllers in France on Thursday and Friday is causing disruption across Europe. Low-cost airline Ryanair, for example, has cancelled more than 170 flights, including seven from Charleroi Airport (BSCA).
French air traffic controllers are responsible for a large part of the airspace in the centre of Europe, larger than the French national borders with areas extending into the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
As there is no minimum service for overflying traffic, many flights have to be diverted, resulting in delays. The strike is not only causing disruption to flights to and from France, but is also noticeable in overflying traffic.
Ryanair is therefore not only cancelling flights to and from France on Thursday and Friday, but also to Greece, Spain and Italy, among others.
These cancelled flights from Charleroi Airport were scheduled to fly to Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Alicante (Spain), Faro (Portugal), Tangier and Marrakesh (Morocco), and Toulouse (France) on Thursday. The impact of the two-day strike by French air traffic control on Friday's flights departing from Charleroi is not yet known.
Start of the summer holidays
According to Eurocontrol, around 25,800 scheduled flights are scheduled in Europe on Thursday: around 09:00, the average delays were 18 minutes, most of which were due to the strike.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary is once again using the strike to plead with the European Commission for a "thorough reform" of European air traffic control. After all, the strike comes at a particularly bad time, at the start of the summer holidays.
Passengers who have to transfer in Paris are also at risk of getting into trouble: a quarter of the flights were cancelled on Thursday, and even 40% on Friday. During this busy period, Paris airports receive around 350,000 passengers per day.
However, the biggest disruption is expected in the south of France, a popular destination for many Belgians. At Nice airport, half of the flights were cancelled on Thursday. The flights that are still being operated are delayed by an average of 45 minutes.
At Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier airports, 30% of the flights have been cancelled. There are also far fewer flights to the island of Corsica. The flights have been cancelled in advance to guarantee safety.
Empty area at Brussels Airport. Credit: Belga/Ine Gillis
The strike is an initiative of the Unsa-Icna and Usac-CGT unions, the second and third largest among air traffic controllers. Around 270 air traffic controllers (out of a total of 1,400) went on strike on Thursday.
With their action, they are demanding better working conditions and more staff. There are also references to "toxic leadership" and "a climate of constant pressure and mistrust, which is incompatible with the demands of serenity and safety in the profession of air traffic controller."
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called the demands unacceptable, and criticised the fact that the action was being taken at a time when many French people were leaving for holidays.
