Foreign Office warns UK tourists heading to France and says 'it has been reported'

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued an urgent warning to UK tourists with plans to travel to France today. France is set to face strike action from air traffic control unions, which is likely to ground flights across the European Union.

France’s DGAC civil aviation authority said it had asked airlines to cancel 75 per cent of Thursday’s flights at Paris Orly airport, reports Reuters. Further cancellations were requested at Paris Charles-De-Gaulle and Marseille, with 55 per cent and 65 per cent cancelled respectively.

The FCO issued a statement on its travel advice pages for British travellers stating: “It is being reported that on Thursday 25 April 2024, flights across France will be disrupted, with many cancelled, following a call for strike action by air traffic control unions.

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"Check your operator’s advice before travelling, including where you are taking connecting flights.” Even though it’s French ATC that are striking, most disrupted passengers are not flying to/from France but overfly French airspace en route to their destination.

Ryanair ’s CEO Michael O’Leary said: “French air traffic controllers are free to go on strike, that’s their right, but we should be cancelling French flights, not flights leaving Ireland, going to Italy, or flights from Germany to Spain or Scandinavia to Portugal. The European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has failed for 5 years to take any action to protect overflights and the single market for air travel. We’re again calling on her to take action to protect overflights which will eliminate over 90% of these flight cancellations.

"In June, we will have European elections, we encourage everyone to vote in these elections and demand your MEP and the European Commission to take action to protect overflights. We can’t have the skies over Europe repeatedly closed because French Air Traffic Controllers are going on strike.

"Protect overflights during national ATC strikes, reduce flight cancellations and disruptions and let’s have a better summer for all of Europe’s citizens and visitors.”