Foreign Office in urgent warning to France travellers over strikes

Travellers have been handed an urgent warning about a travel meltdown for air and sea travellers this month. The Foreign Office this afternoon issued an alert saying that port and air traffic control workers are planning a series of walkouts.

Serious disruption is expected and officials said anyone travelling should check with their airline or travel operator first. In a statement this afternoon the Foreign Office said: “Throughout June, planned industrial action by port worker and air traffic control unions is expected to disrupt some ferry routes and flights across France, with some routes and flights diverted or cancelled.

“Check your operator’s advice before travelling, including where you are taking connecting flights. Until September, possible industrial action may cause disruption on the Paris public transport system (RATP). Check the RATP website for live service updates.”

A new wave of strikes is set to hit, with walkouts announced for next week by UNSA-ICNA, the union for air traffic controllers at Paris Orly airport. The last strike by UNSA-ICNA in May saw 70 per cent of inbound/outbound Orly flights cancelled.

The shutdown covers 11-13 June for flights in and out of Paris Orly - the second-largest Parisian airport after Paris-Charles de Gaulle in Roissy. Other French airports are unaffected. Airport workers have been taking regular industrial action against a new ‘48-hour law’, which governs how much notice they must give managers before they can strike.

Ryanair was forced to scrap almost 100 flights due to the latest strike by French air traffic control (ATC) staff this week. The low-cost airline branded the situation “inexplicable”, blaming the European Commission for failing to “protect EU passengers’ freedom of movement” during the ongoing industrial action, which coincides with the commemoration of the D-Day landings.

The walkout is the 84th day of strikes since 2023.

This rule is already in place for employees of SNCF national railways and Paris public transport operator RATP, but has sparked repeated protests from air traffic control unions. The new regulations also include an expansion of responsibilities, with workers seeking additional pay and a recruitment drive to the profession. Air traffic controllers at Paris Orly are also concerned about Air France moving its flight operations away to Paris-Charles de Gaulle and a sense that they’re being deprioritised by the French civil aviation authority DGAC.”

As many as 16,000 flights were cancelled and 85,000 delayed last year due to air traffic control strikes in Europe.