Air traffic control strikes against pension reform in France are greatly frustrating companies, often forced to bypass the country, said the leader of their main world organization on Monday, on the eve of a new day of mobilization. These strikes “are almost daily” and “disrupt air traffic not only in France, but all over the world because they force companies to go through other countries to avoid French airspace”, denounced the director. General of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), Willie Walsh.
“I have to say it, this is causing extreme exasperation among the airlines,” Willie Walsh said at a press conference in Istanbul on the sidelines of his organization’s general assembly.
These preventive cancellations are supposed to match the traffic and the numbers of air traffic controllers available, in order to avoid flight cancellations without the passengers having been able to be notified. These work stoppages, at the call of unions mobilized against the pension reform promulgated in mid-April, will also affect certain en route air navigation centers (CRNA), which guide planes flying over national territory.
Given the geographical position of France, these strikes have cascading effects on all European air traffic, which bristles many foreign carriers forced to cancel or delay flights. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has launched a petition to ask the European Union to protect overflights from French territory in the event of social unrest. This text has obtained more than 1.1 million signatures. For its part, the European air traffic monitoring body, Eurocontrol, estimated at 10 million the number of passengers affected by the strike between March and the beginning of April.
