France air traffic control strike: Ryanair cancels 300 flights across Europe despite ATC walkout called off last minute

Ryanair has cancelled more than 300 flights scheduled for today (Thursday 25 April) after French air traffic control workers announced they were striking. The airline has cancelled the flights despite the proposed strike action by air traffic control workers in France being called off. The airline announced that the cancellations would affect around 50,000 passengers across Europe.

The SNCTA, the biggest French air traffic controllers union, called off Thursday's strike after reaching a deal with management over working conditions. However, the DGAC, the civil aviation authority, said the agreement came too late to avoid travel disruption.

Ryanair called on the European Union to provide legal protection to overflights during air traffic control strikes and to allow other European controllers to manage flights in the French airspace. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said in a statement yesterday (Wednesday 24 April): “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 Scandinavia to Portugal.

“The European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has failed for five years to take any action to protect overflights and the single market for air travel. We’re again calling on her to take action to protect overflights which will eliminate over 90 per cent of these flight cancellations.”

Aer Lingus said there will be some delays and cancellations to its flight schedule on Thursday and advised passengers to check their flight status before departing for the airport. The DAA, which operates Dublin Airport, has said 23 planned departures and 13 arrivals at the airport are not going ahead on Thursday.