Chaos for Brits travelling to Europe as thousands hit by delays | World | News
Thousands of travelers, including many British, face great disruptions because air traffic control strikes in France have caused widespread flight cancellations and delays throughout Europe in one of the busiest times of the year. On July 3 and 4, the industrial action of French Air Traffic Controllers triggered a fluctuation effect that seriously affected holidaymakers at the beginning of the summer holiday. The European Airline Lobby Group, Ryanir, Air France, Klm, Lufthansa, British Airways and Easyjet, the European Airlines (A4E) warned that more than 1,500 flights will be canceled in two days and affected approximately 300,000 passengers throughout Europe.
According to the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), 933 flights, which constitute approximately 10% of all planned flights in France, were canceled on Thursday. Ryanir, the largest airline in Europe, said that 170 flights on Thursday and affect more than 30,000 passengers.
Some airports were particularly shot hard, the cancellations reached 50% at Nice Airport, 25% in the country’s third most intense airport and the main centers of Paris, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Le Monde notified.
These airports usually deal with about 350,000 passengers every day in the most intense summer season.
Striking air traffic controllers call for better working conditions and shortage of protest personnel and inadequate equipment.
“This strike is unbearable.
“French air traffic control is already responsible for the worst delays in Europe, and now the actions of the minority of the French Air Traffic Controllers will disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and Europe.”
Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanir, said, “Once again, European families are ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike.
“It is unacceptable that the extreme flows on the French airspace on the way to arrival are canceled/delay as a result of another French ATC strike.
He continued: “This does not make sense, and the EU passengers and the families on holidays abundant injustice.”
Ryanir invites the EU to maintain excessive flights during the most intense departure times that air traffic services are fully assigned and excessive flights during national strikes.
