Over 50,000 passengers affected as Ryanair cancels flights to France

Ryanair has apologised to those affected

In a video statement released on Wednesday evening, the airline CEO Michael O’Leary alerted people to the strike involving French air traffic controllers which follows a pay row between the workers’ unions and their employer – France’s civil aviation authority DGAC.

The cancellations are still happening despite the SNCTA, the biggest of the unions involved, calling off the strike after coming to a deal with management.

“As a result of France’s failure to protect overflights, we look like we’re going to have to cancel more than 300 Ryanair flights tomorrow Thursday, possibly affecting the flight plans, cancelling the flight plans of over 50,000 passengers,” O’Leary said.

“This is completely unacceptable. Legal mechanisms exist across Europe, in Spain, in Italy, in Greece, for protecting overflights during national ATC strikes.

“We continue to ask why France and the European Commission won’t protect overflights during French national ATC strikes.

“French air traffic controllers are free to go on strike, that’s their right But we should be cancelling French flights, not flights leaving Ireland going to Italy or flights from Germany to Spain or flights from Scandinavia to Portugal.

“The European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has failed for five years to take any action to protect overflights. We’re calling on her again tomorrow. Take some action, protect overflights and then we would eliminate 90% of these flight cancellations and flight disruptions.

“We can’t have the skies over Europe repeatedly closed because French air traffic controllers are going on strike.”

The planned French strike has led to “a total of 36 flights” due to operate at Dublin Airport on Thursday being cancelled by airlines, “including 23 departures and 13 arrivals”.

“Passengers should check directly with their airline for updates regarding specific flights,” Dublin Airport wrote on Twitter.

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