As a result of an ongoing French air traffic control strike, a number of flights across Europe and in Ireland have been cancelled. Anybody currently travelling over French airspace on Monday is advised to contact their airline for the latest updates. Dublin, Belfast, and Cork airports are expected to be affected, with certain Aer Lingus and Ryanair flights having been grounded. Flights to Lourdes, Nimes, Carcassonne, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Paris have already been cancelled on Monday.
In a statement on Saturday, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary expressed his dissatisfaction with the consequences of the strike, describing it as “completely unacceptable”. He said: “The French authorities have told us we must cancel another 220 flights, most of which are overflying France. This means an additional 40,000 passengers will have their flights cancelled during the May bank holiday weekend due to the French ATC strikes.”
Mr O’Leary apologized to customers whose flights have been disrupted, informing them by email if their flight had been cancelled. He further argued: “It is unfair that flights from the UK to Spain or from Italy to Portugal are being cancelled simply because a bunch of French air traffic control units want to go on strike. We respect their right to strike, but if they want to strike, cancel the French flights, protect the overflights.”
