A strike by air traffic controllers on Friday caused a significant traffic jam at French airports, with at least a thousand flights being cancelled or delayed.
According to BFMTV and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, more than 1,000 flights from different airlines have been cancelled.
According to Thomas June, president of the Union of French airports, almost all companies operating flights to and from French airports have complied with the civil aviation authority’s orders to cancel one out of every two flights.
Air traffic controllers are striking in order to demand pay increases and quick hiring to fill open positions.
June regretted the strike and expressed regret that their actions were having an impact on people. After two years of an unprecedented situation, we are now in a phase of traffic reconstruction… The timing of this strike is unfortunate, and we regret it.
He did note that “changes in purchasing power and inflation” made the demands of the air traffic controllers legitimate.