- A nationwide five-day aviation strike has been called in France from 17 to 21 October 2026
- The strike covers all flight crew employed under French labour
- The walkout coincides with the start of France’s Toussaint autumn school holidays
- No airlines have published detailed flight cancellation schedules
A three-day strike by French air traffic control strike planned for early October was called off after discussions with management, avoiding widespread disruption to flights over France. A planned three-day strike by the SNCTA union was averted at the last minute after agreements were reached with management and DGCA, the Civil Aviation Authority.
A second nationwide five-day aviation strike has been called in France from Saturday, 17 October until Wednesday, 21 October 2026. The strike notice runs from 00:01 on 17 October to 23:59 on 21 October Paris time. Because the strike covers all flight crew employed under French labour law, the disruption extends to both French carriers and international airlines that base staff in France.
The walkout coincides with the start of France’s Toussaint autumn school holidays, making it one of the busiest travel periods of the season. Major impacts are anticipated for Air France, Transavia France, Volotea and Corsair. Airlines like easyJet via its French subsidiary and Ryanair which use French-based crews could also face localised cancellations or severe delays.
If passengers hold a booking during this five-day window, they should monitor their flight and check their flight status regularly through their airline’s app. Airlines facing strike disruptions often issue flexible rebooking waivers ahead of time. Because this strike is a protest against state pension reforms rather than an internal airline dispute, carriers may try to claim extraordinary circumstances to avoid paying EU261 delay compensation. However, rights to a refund, rerouting and duty of care remain intact.
