French Airport Strike Grounds Hundreds of Flights, Disrupts Thousands of Travelers

PARIS : The ongoing strike that began disrupting French airport operations on Thursday escalated significantly on Friday, as the National Civil Aviation Authority directed airlines to cancel a substantial portion of their flight schedules.

At Paris’ major airports—Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais—40% of all flights were cancelled. Cancellations climbed to 50% in Nice, while 30% of flights were affected in Marseille, Lyon, and several other regional airports.

Despite these precautionary steps, authorities warned that “widespread disruptions and long delays” would continue across all airports in France.

Low-cost carrier Ryanair reported severe operational setbacks, cancelling over 400 flights and impacting more than 70,000 passengers. The airline strongly criticized the effect of the strike on flights over French airspace and to/from French destinations, urging the European Union to reform air traffic management rules to reduce such disruptions in the future.

The strike is being led by air traffic control unions, including UNSA-ICNA, which cited a lack of staffing to handle growing air traffic volumes and the erosion of wages due to inflation. Union representatives are also pushing back against proposed regulatory reforms that would modify oversight of air traffic operations.

As negotiations remain deadlocked, passengers are advised to check flight statuses and prepare for continued disruptions over the coming days.