Flight delays and cancellations are expected to hit much of Europe today after French authorities failed to reach an agreement to avoid a strike by air traffic controllers.
French authorities have asked airlines to cancel three-quarters of flights from Paris Orly airport and 55 percent from Charles De Gaulle airport, as well as two-thirds of flights to Marseille.
Ryanair has announced that it will have to cancel more than 300 flights, reports Reuters.
French air traffic controllers have the right to strike, but we should be canceling French flights, not travel from Ireland to Italy, from Germany to Spain or from Scandinavia to Portugal, said Ryanair director Michael O’Leary.
France’s largest air traffic controller union, SNCTA, said it had abandoned today’s strike after reaching an agreement on working conditions, but the deal came too late to prevent traffic disruption as other unions continue to negotiate.
Due to controller strikes, 16,000 flights were canceled in Europe last year, while 85,000 were delayed.
