Ryanair cancels 170 flights due to French air traffic controller strike

Ryanair said today it was forced to cancel 170 flights, disrupting travel for more than 30,000 passengers, due to a nationwide air traffic controller strike in France planned for later in the day and tomorrow.

The disruption comes at the start of Europe's summer holidays, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The French civil aviation agency DGAC yesterday asked multiple carriers to reduce flights at Paris airports by 40% on July 4 due to the planned strike.

\"In addition to flights to/from France being cancelled, this strike will also affect all French overflights,\" Ryanair said in a statement today.

Passengers overflying French airspace from the UK to Greece and Spain to Ireland would also be affected, the airline said.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take urgent action to reform European Union air traffic controllers' services.

\"Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike. It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike,\" Mr O'Leary said.

\"It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays,\" he added.

He said he wants Ms von der Leyen to take urgent action to reform EU ATC services by ensuring that ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, and by protecting overflights during national ATC strikes.

\"These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90% of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike,\" he added.