Hundreds Of Flights Cancelled By France Strike

Hundreds of flights to and from Britain have been cancelled due to a strike by air traffic controllers in France.

No frills airline Ryanair said it had axed more than 250 services while British Airways has warned of significant delays for the next 48 hours.

Departure and arrivals boards at Heathrow suggested most European flights were either delayed or cancelled, affecting tens of thousands of passengers during the Easter break.

Easyjet has axed 160 flights, including 36 to and from the UK.

The airline said in a statement: "We can assure our passengers we are doing everything possible to limit the inconvenience of this strike on them."

British Airways said: "Unfortunately there will be some knock-on delays to other parts of our short-haul network as a result of the strike action, given how much airspace in Europe will be affected. We are sorry for any disruption to customers' travel plans."

Ryanair hit out at those on strike. In a statement the airline said: "It's grossly unfair that thousands of European travellers will once again have their travel plans disrupted by the selfish actions of a tiny number of French ATC workers."

Passengers voiced their frustration on Twitter:

John Reynolds tweeted “Another great example of @Ryanair customer service - they tell you at 5.30pm that your flight is cancelled then close all comms down!”

While Darren Sutton asked Ryanair via twitter “my flight today has been cancelled and nothing available until Monday. What do I do now I’m stuck in Spain with no money or hotel?”

The effects of the strike have been felt far beyond France. Dave Garwood tweeted “daughter stranded in Marrakesh as Ryanair flight cancelled”.

The moves by airlines were a response to advice from the French aviation authority, the DGAC, which had urged companies to cut their flights to and from France by 40%.

Airlines have warned the action will have a knock-on effect for short and medium-haul flights across Europe, due to the large number of flights that normally use French airspace.

The strike has been called by France's largest Air Traffic Controllers union, the SNCTA, in a dispute over working conditions.

The union is planning further action on 16-18 April and 29 April to 2 May.

The SNCTA delayed a strike planned a strike for 25-27 March due to the Germanwings crash in the French Alps.