Air passengers travelling to and from Paris faced significant disruption on Thursday despite a decision by air traffic controllers to call off a strike following last-minute negotiations, AP News reports.
The number of flights was significantly reduced due to adjustments made to the timetable ahead of the anticipated industrial action.
French civil aviation authorities had asked airlines in advance to significantly cut flights – 75 per cent at Paris-Orly, 55 per cent at Charles de Gaulle and 65 per cent at Marseille-Provence, with varying reductions at other French airports. As a result, operations were severely curtailed, which also affected international flights crossing French airspace.
On the eve of the strike, airlines were forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights, most of which would have landed or departed from France. A further 1,000 flights would have had to divert from French airspace.
While delays were minor on flights that operated, significant cancellations and schedule adjustments resulted in ongoing travel difficulties for thousands of passengers. The impact was particularly noticeable at major airports such as Paris-Orly, where delays exacerbated the day’s problems.
In February, Lufthansa employees working in technology, logistics, freight transport and information technology at Frankfurt airport went on strike. Flights were cancelled and the strike lasted about a day.
