Today’s French Air Traffic Control Strike
French air traffic controllers are striking today, in a continuing dispute over EU plans to create a single European airspace. The action started at 06.00 French local time on Thursday and is due to continue until 20.00 tonight. The action is causing hundreds of cancellations and delays – not just to flights to and from France but also to flights that have routes over French airspace.
The European Commission has stated that Europe’s airspace capacity could triple if air traffic controls were centralised, rather than each EU country monitoring its own skies. However air traffic controllers believe that the Single European Sky project (SES) will impact public safety and working conditions.
Airlines have been asked by France’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) to reduce flights to and from most major French airports including Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse.
Private jet travel during the French air traffic control strike
Private jets are also impacted by the industrial action, but less so than airlines. Private aircraft can be re-routed at very short notice and the inherent flexibility of private jet travel makes it possible to work around most kinds of travel disruption.
For advice on private jet travel in France, contact us or call our multi-lingual team on +44 (0)1747 642777
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