Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

1,800 flights cancelled as French air traffic controllers strike

Britain's easyJet has said it was cancelling 35 flights to Paris, 11 to Toulouse and others to Marseille, Bordeaux and Nice

Agency
Tuesday 11 June 2013 11:39 BST
Comments
An air traffic controller at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport's control tower, in Roissy-en-France, northern Paris. Air traffic controllers plan three days of strikes beginning 11 June 2013
An air traffic controller at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport's control tower, in Roissy-en-France, northern Paris. Air traffic controllers plan three days of strikes beginning 11 June 2013 (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

French air traffic controllers walked off the job at the start of a three-day strike today, grounding hundreds of flights across the country in a protest against plans to liberalise civil airspace.

Some 1,800 flights have been cancelled out of about 7,650 scheduled for today, France's DGAC civil aviation authority said, with fewer flights to airports serving Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux affected than its initial estimate of 50 percent. The knock-on effect was felt across Europe.

Workers are concerned that European Union plans for a "Single European Sky" will adversely affect their working conditions.

Marseille airport in the south of France said on its website that it was less affected than others, with 100 flights or about a third scrapped. More than 70 flights were cancelled out of Nice airport.

Britain's easyJet has said it was cancelling 35 flights to Paris, 11 to Toulouse and others to Marseille, Bordeaux and Nice.

Air France said it was cancelling an unspecified number of short- and medium-haul flights.

Preparations for the maiden flight of Europe's newest passenger jet, the Airbus A350, were also affected by fallout from the strike, French transport sources said on Monday.

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in