French air traffic control strike: are Rynanair, easyJet and Jet2 flights affected - is there a walkout at Luton Airport today?

Air traffic control workers in France are striking today (Friday 13 October) which is set to affect several airlines and flights going to and from the country. French air traffic control (ATC) hasn’t called a national strike so not all ATCs are striking but some working for regional airports are.

The French airports affected are Marseille Provence Airport, Paris Beauvais Airport and Paris-Orly Airport. France’s aviation authority said Paris Orly would be the airport most severely affected, with 40% of flights cancelled, followed by Marseille (20%) and Beauvais (15%).

Ryanair has had to cancel a number of flights today due to the strike with a spokesperson from the airline saying it is “disgraceful” that French ATC are “striking again”. The airline said: “Due to the French ATC strike on Fri (13th Oct), we have been forced to cancel a small number of flights, mainly overflying France. Affected passengers have been notified of their options to change flights (free of charge) or receive a full refund."

A Ryanair spokesperson added that it is the “64th day of ATC strikes in 2023 alone” and “despite Ryanair’s repeated calls on Ursula von der Leyen and her College of Commissioners, they still have not taken any action to protect EU passengers from suffering needless disruptions during these ATC strikes”. In a statement Jet2 has warned passengers that there is “a possibility of disruption to flights that are due to operate within French airspace” while easyJet said it expects that there “will be delays and some disruption due to the industrial action”.

Parking attendants and cleaners at London’s Luton Airport were also set to strike today - however Unite the Union has provided an updated statement on this industrial action following the fire which ripped through the airport’s car park.

Which UK airlines and airports are affected by strikes today?

Ryanair has had to cancel a number of flights today due to French ATC strikes while easyJet and Jet2 have also warned passengers of delays and cancellations to their flights. Ryanair only flies to Paris Beauvais Airport and Marseille Provence Airport therefore flights from the airline will only be affected from these airports. Jet2 told NationalWorld today that the airline has no planned cancellations.

Flights to other parts of France and over French air space may also experience delays due to the increased pressures on ATCs in other parts of the country. The French Civil Aviation Authority has advised those due to travel during the strike period to check with their airline.

Are strikes affecting Luton Airport today?

Planned strike action that was initially meant to take place at Luton Airport today has been called off following a major fire on Tuesday night (10 October). A spokesperson for APCOA Parking (UK) said: “In light of the major incident at Luton Airport and following a discussion between the Unite union and APCOA, Unite has suspended the planned industrial action which was due to commence on Friday, October 13. “APCOA appreciate Unite and its members acting so quickly in suspending their industrial action, so all our colleagues can support Luton Airport and its customers through this challenging period.”

The action was going to be taken by cleaners employed by Sasse and parking attendants employed by APCOA. Unite the Union said: “Planned action by cleaners employed by Sasse scheduled between Saturday 14 October and Wednesday 18 October will be suspended as will the action by parking attendants employed by APCOA which was due to take place between Friday 13 and Friday 20 October.”