France’s air traffic controllers are on strike, numerous failures are expected

Air travelers in and to France have to be prepared for cancellations and delays on Friday. From the early hours of the morning, air traffic controllers in the country want to lay down their work for 24 hours. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation has called on airlines to cut their offerings in mainland France and overseas territories by half.

Air France announced that it would cancel around 55 percent of short- and medium-haul flights on Friday. Austria is also affected. The SNCTA union had called for the strike. After six months of negotiations, concrete answers from the employer side are missing, it said. Points of contention are the securing of offspring and the demand for payments to compensate for inflation. According to the union, a third of air traffic controllers will retire between 2029 and 2035. Because of the long training, a plan for the next generation must be in place for the coming year. The union has already published a second strike notice for September 28-30.