Air traffic control strikes: how many European flights could be cancelled this summer - will it go ahead?

Tens of thousands of flights across Europe are at risk of being delayed or cancelled a day as air traffic controllers are threatening to strike in a row over issues such as recruitment, management and rosters.

A trade union representing staff at Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace, is threatening to take industrial action putting UK holidaymakers in major uncertainty over whether they will be able to get away for their summer holidays.

The Union Syndicale Bruxelles (USB), which represents EU civil servants, wrote to Eurocontrol bosses stating that action will take place with just a five-day notice period and could begin next week.

The first round of the strikes is expected to be announced as early as Monday (10 July) unless there is a last minute agreement, Sky News reports.

How many flights could be cancelled?

Up to 12,600 flights across Europe could be disrupted every day during strike action, according to The Times who was told by an aviation source.

The paper has reported a third of all European flights are at risk as the strikes will involve some 160 staff who run Eurocontrol’s Network Manager Operations Centre.

An industry source told The Times: “In a full-blown strike, 20 to 30% of flights would be at least delayed. They are big numbers.”

A senior airline source added that the impact of the strikes could be “massive and extremely disruptive”.

Why are air traffic controllers threatening to strike?

Controllers at Eurocontrol said they would walk out after talks over staffing, rosters and pay broke down.

The dispute relates to Eurocontrol’s network manager operations centre (NMOC), which plays a vital role in streamlining ATC operations across the continent, validating all flight plans and checking more than 96,000 messages a day.

USB claimed the NMOC has a “25% staff shortage” and called for the immediate hiring of 20 more controllers.

It is also demanding a “fundamental change in management or manager behaviour” and a roster system that is “based on agreement and not unilaterally imposed”.

Eurocontrol said in a statement that it had received the union’s letter and “no specific dates for industrial action have been announced” as it “was only a pre-warning.”

It had previously warned that demand from airlines “might get close to capacity” for ATC in large parts of Europe, including London, Brussels and Madrid.

It said the Ukraine war meant there was less airspace available for travel and is one of the biggest problems facing airlines this summer.