France air traffic control strike: Travel warning as strike to cancel flights at Paris and south of France airports - when is walkout happening?

The French civil aviation agency said on Tuesday it had asked airlines to reduce flights at Paris' airports by 25% on July 3 following notification of a strike by air traffic controllers. The agency said it had also asked airlines to reduce flights from Nice, Bastia and Calvi by 50% and from Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Ajaccio and Figari by 30%.

"Despite these preventative measures, disturbances and significant delays are to be expected at all French airports," the agency said, adding that passengers should change their flights if they are able to do so. Half of flights in Nice and Corsica, and a quarter in Paris are cancelled on July 3. Disruption is also expected on July 4 just before the French school holidays begin.

UNSA-ICNA is France’s second-largest air traffic controllers’ union. It has filed a strike notice for Thursday, July 3, and Friday, July 4, 2025.

The chosen dates are just before the start of the summer holidays. The union denounces “toxic management” and “failure in project management” within France air traffic control.

The union lashes out at the DGAC (General Directorate of Civil Aviation) for “failing to modernize the tools that are essential for air traffic controllers, even though it keeps promising that all means are being put in place.” The union cites repeated major breakdowns (as recently as last May at Paris-Orly airport), despite “weeks of repeated alerts.”

The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) “deeply” regrets the choice of dates. The air traffic controllers strike dates correspond to the busiest days of the year, due to the numerous departures for vacations during this period.