Airlines have warned travellers to expect delays and cancellations this week due to a four-day national strike in France.
Workers, including air traffic controllers and other transport staff, are walking out between Monday and Thursday (20-23 March) in an ongoing dispute over the French government’s plans to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.
French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has asked all airlines to reduce their flight schedules to and from Paris Orly, as well as some other French airports, such as Marseille, over the latest strike period.
Air France said it planned to operate 95 per cent of flights on strike days, including all long-haul flights and services to and from its main hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle.
“Last-minute delays and cancellations cannot be ruled out,” added the airline in a statement. “Air France regrets this situation and is doing its utmost to limit the impact on its customers.”
Budget carriers easyJet and Ryanair also warned about possible cancellations or delays due to the air traffic controllers’ strike.
“Like all airlines, our flights to and from French airports, as well as those flying in French airspace, could be affected,” said easyJet.
“We expect that there will be delays and some disruption due to the industrial action, therefore we advise all customers to check the status of their flight on our flight tracker either on our mobile app or website.”
Eurostar, which had to cancel two train services on Sunday (19 March), said it was planning to run a normal service on Monday and Tuesday (20-21 March).
Meanwhile SNCF said that its services would operate at a “broadly similar” level to previous strike days earlier this year, with two-thirds of TER trains operating on Monday, as well as more than 80 per cent of TGV services. The train company warned that trains would “remain disrupted” on Tuesday.