Some 10% of flights departing from or arriving at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) will be canceled this Thursday, June 30 due to a social movement, AFP learned from the airport manager and authorities.
This strike affects firefighters at France’s biggest airport. It is happening against the background of wage negotiations. The strike could also impact other employees. Therefore, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to cancel a portion of their flight schedule. Groupe ADP (Aeroports de Paris), stated that they will be able to guarantee more than 90% of flights each day.
For security concerns, the DGAC ordered airlines to cancel 17% their flights between 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. A spokesperson for the administration stated that the order was made by the DGAC. ADP stated that passengers are encouraged to verify the status of their flight with their company, and to plan their arrival at the airport. It takes three hours to get an international flight information, while it takes two hours to get a domestic or European flight.
According to the same source, “Groupe ADP maintains constant contact with all operational actors in Paris-CDG, airlines, and air navigation to minimize the impact of strikes” and inform passengers.
For its part, Air France, one of the main user companies of Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, indicates that it has been forced to cancel more than 10% of its short and medium-haul flights taking off or landing from CDG, i.e. 62 aircraft movements. Long-haul flights won’t be affected. A spokesperson stated that “our flight schedule is current” and that affected travelers were notified. However, “last-minute delays and cancellations cannot always be ruled out.”
The strike by firefighters is preceded by a multisectoral, interprofessional movement at airport, which will be held Friday through Sunday to demand wage increases. The manager stated Wednesday evening that they are still waiting for confirmation on the strikers’ numbers and their potential impact on air traffic.
Air France said that it would adapt its program in the days to come. This was due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
ADP announced on June 9 that a quarter of CDG flights would be cancelled. This was due to staff striking for wage increases.
Air traffic in Europe is slowly returning to normal after two years of slowing down. Traffic monitoring body Eurocontrol says traffic currently stands at 86% of its levels in Europe. It is three years old, and could reach 95% in August, according to the most optimistic scenario.
Some European airports have seen a lack of staff cause chaos. In particular, Amsterdam-Schiphol and Frankfurt have both had to cancel flights in recent weeks because of shortages of ground staff.
