Ryanair has said up to 600 flights a day could be cancelled next week when French air traffic controllers go on strike, potentially affecting around 100,000 passengers.
The country’s largest ATC union, SNCTA, has called walkouts from 7 to 10 October, a move that will restrict capacity across western Europe. Routes from the UK to France, Spain, Italy and Greece are likely to be hit, as many of those flights pass through French airspace.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary renewed his call for the EU to protect “overflights” during strikes, arguing cancellations should apply only to flights departing or landing in France.
“They have the right to strike, but overflights should not be affected,” he said. “If Ursula von der Leyen and the Commission are not willing to protect the single market, then they should go.”
Ryanair has been among the most vocal airlines pressing for reform. The carrier said it had already cancelled 30 flights on Thursday due to industrial action by smaller unions, and that more than 190 flights were delayed during a strike on 18 September.
Airlines will not know exact numbers of cancellations until closer to the strike dates, but Ryanair expects major disruption. Other carriers, including easyJet and British Airways, have not yet given estimates.
Industry-wide concerns over air traffic control delays have grown since Covid, with staff shortages, technical issues and the closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace all squeezing Europe’s flight paths.
