Ryanair says up to 600 flights a day could be cancelled next week as French air traffic controllers prepare to strike, potentially disrupting the travel plans of as many as 100,000 passengers daily.
The country’s largest ATC union, SNCTA, has called for walkouts between 7 and 10 October, cutting capacity across western European skies. Routes between the UK and destinations such as Spain, Italy and Greece are expected to be among the worst affected, as many flights cross French airspace.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, renewed his call for the EU to protect overflights, arguing that only flights landing in or departing from France should be grounded.
“We cannot have a situation where the single market shuts down every time the French go on strike,” O’Leary said. “If Ursula von der Leyen is not willing to defend the single market and protect overflights, then she should go.”
The airline also pointed to recent disruption: on 18 September, a French strike delayed more than 190 Ryanair flights and affected 35,000 passengers, while smaller union action on Thursday forced the cancellation of 30 services.
Other airlines, including easyJet and British Airways, have not yet confirmed their expected levels of disruption.
Airlines have also warned that post-Covid staff shortages in ATC centres, combined with technical glitches and restricted routes due to the closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace, are straining Europe’s skies even without strikes.
