French Airport Strike, French Aviation Strike

French air traffic controllers claim their 41st strike since 2009 is justified as walkout is set to cause travel chaos ahead of Easter weekend - French air traffic controllers who have sparked travel chaos by staging a walk-out are in the middle of their 41st strike since 2009, Ryanair has claimed.

Up to a third of flights were cancelled at French airports today causing long delays just days before the busy Easter weekend.

Low-cost airline Ryanair condemned the 'selfish actions' of aviation unions, claiming it was the 41st strike by French air traffic controllers in just seven years.

Passengers travelling from Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton Airport were forced to wait for or reschedule their flights on Sunday, with the disruption expected to continue until the industrial action ends later this week.

The union leading the strike UNSA-ICNA, which represents a fifth of French controllers, says their action is aimed at improving their safety in the long term, the Local reports.

But in response, Ryanair has called on the French Government and the European Commission to intervene in order to prevent British passengers being 'held to ransom' by 'tiny numbers' of French workers.

Ryanair also pointed out that the strikes were also affecting flights overflying France, meaning that travellers whose flights neither take-off from or land in a French airport are also suffering.

The airline is now urging its customers to sign a petition to the European Commission, which it hopes will bring to an end the 'repeated blackmail and disruption by ATC unions'.

Robin Kiely, head of communications at Ryanair, said the strikes were 'unwarranted' and 'grossly unfair'.

'Due to yet another French ATC strike - the 41st such strike since 2009 - we regret that we were forced to cancel a number of flights on Sunday, with further flights cancelled on Monday, and delays likely,' he added.

'It's grossly unfair that thousands of ordinary European consumers have their travel and holiday plans disrupted by the actions of a selfish few.

'We also encourage any affected customers to sign our online petition, Keep Europe's Skies Open.'

Officials at Gatwick said that passengers had experienced delays averaging more than 50 minutes on Sunday, while Luton Airport confirmed that flights to Amsterdam and Nimes had been affected as a result of a 'knock-on effect in the network'.

A spokesman for easyJet confirmed that 82 flights had been cancelled, including 32 arriving and departing from the UK.
British Airways refused to disclose how many flights would be affected by the strikes, but said that it was doing 'all we can to minimise disruption to customers affected.'

A spokeswoman added that larger aircraft were now being used and some flights were being re-routed.