Air traffic controllers strike impact regional French airports
As the summer travel season ramps up, the protests and labor strikes in many European countries aren’t slowing down.
AFP reports that on Thursday, June 29, France’s civil air authority ordered airlines to cancel flights to and from three airports as a result of an ongoing strike by air traffic controllers. Beauvais was one of the airports impacted by the directive and serves as the main hub for Irish carrier, Ryanair, in France. Brest, in western France, and Carcassonne, in southern France, are also impacted by the strike.
Travel Noire reports that the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) requested that half of the flights operating from Beauvais on Wednesday be canceled. On Thursday, the DGAC updated this request and declared that all planes be grounded. The decision was made due to the strike by air traffic controller unions in Beauvais, Brest, and Carcassonne that are dissatisfied with current working conditions.
The strike is a continuation of on-and-off strikes taking place between March and May. During that time, air traffic controllers protested the French government’s decision to reform the pension system.
The protests across European countries have greatly impacted domestic travel and tourism, resulting in flight cancellation and delays in popular destinations such as Spain and Italy. Travel Noire reports that Thursday’s strike did not affect major airports in France or flights that passed through French airspace.
Beauvais, which is situated nearly 50 miles north of Paris, is currently France’s 10th busiest airport. The airport saw the travel of 4.6 million passengers in 2022.
Roshae Hemmings is an arts and culture magazine journalist from St. Louis, MO. A graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism, Roshae has bylines in the Columbia Missourian, Vox Magazine and 5280 Magazine discussing topics ranging from pop culture, social justice and eat and drink. She is a foodie at heart and enjoys eating food as much as learning about the story behind it. You can reach Roshae via email at roshaehemmings@detourxp.com.