Air traffic control (ATC) strikes will disrupt air traffic across France, particularly at Paris-Orly and Brest airports, on Monday, December 18, 2023.
The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has requested airlines to cancel 30pc of their flights at Paris-Orly and 50pc at Brest on this day, and has urged passengers to postpone their travel plans if possible.
Several ATC unions have given strike notices, including personnel from the control centers managing aircraft trajectories over French territory and approach control centres in Paris-Orly, Lyon, Lille, Brest, Rouen, Poitiers, and Saint-Yan. The strike is in response to a proposed reorganisation of air traffic control, which would lead to reduced services at certain airports.
In response, Ryanair has called on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take action to protect overflights and EU citizens’ freedom of movement during Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes.
The EU Commission has not responded or taken any action despite over 2 million EU passengers signing Ryanair’s petition to keep EU skies open during ATC strikes.
In 2023, there have been 67 days of ATC strikes, causing significant disruptions for airlines and passengers. France protects its own local flights during strikes using Minimum Service Laws, but overflights from other countries are still affected.
Ryanair urges Ursula von der Leyen to respect ATC unions’ strike rights, protect all flights overflying strike-affected countries, and require advance notice of strikes to minimize inconvenience to passengers.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, said: ‘We are still waiting on Ursula von der Leyen to take action to protect EU passengers’ Freedom of Movement by keeping EU skies open by protecting overflights during repeated ATC strikes. It is unacceptable that passengers face more disruption from French ATC strikes again which is the 67th day of ATC strikes in 2023 alone.”
