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Mass flight cancellations as French ATC strike starts

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Strike action by French air traffic controllers has forced airlines to make mass flight cancellations today (Thursday).


Up to 100 Ryanair flights across Europe are affected while other airlines have also had to ground services.


The walkout by controllers is part of a general strike in France which has forced airlines to cancel or delay many services.


EasyJet said it had proactively cancelled an unspecified number of flights, allowing passengers to reorganise their journeys.


“We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact of the strike on our customers,” the budget carrier said.


“We are disappointed at this unnecessary strike action, coming so close to the air traffic control strikes of last week, and causing further disruption for passengers and airlines across Europe.”


“As a member of Airlines for Europe (A4E), we are working with other airlines including Air France KLM, Finnair, International Airlines Group, Lufthansa Group, Norwegian and Ryanair, to call on governments and the EU to develop an action plan to minimise the impact of ATC strikes on passengers.”


British Airways said: “Unfortunately, in addition to cancelling some flights to and from France, other European flights which use French airspace will also be affected and are likely to experience delays and cancellations.



“We will be using larger aircraft, where possible, to help affected customers and are doing all we can to reduce the levels of disruption.”


Air France warned of last-minute delays and cancellations but pledged to run long-haul flights and all services from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.


The French carrier aims to operate 80% of domestic flights from Paris Orly and 65% from Marseille.

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