Business aviation traffic at airports including Paris Le Bourget and Nice-Cote d'Azur has been impacted by a two-day strike by French air traffic controllers.
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A two-day strike by some French air traffic controllers on Thursday and Friday has caused the cancellation of at least 40% of flights to and from the country’s airports. France’s DGAC aviation safety agency ordered a reduction in movements at Paris-area airports, including the business aviation hub at Le Bourget (LFPB), and traffic has also been severely disrupted in Nice, Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier.
Only 270 of around 1,400 French controllers joined the work stoppage. According to the UNSA-ICNA and USAC-CGT trade unions, the action has been taken to protest against what they say are unacceptable working conditions and understaffing. France’s transport minister Philippe Tabarot condemned the strike, which has disrupted the start of the country’s summer vacation season, as well as causing wider problems for airlines operating in other parts of Europe.
According to the ground-handling team at ExecuJet's FBO at LFPB, there were no movements at the facility on either strike day, with 22 customer flights canceled. The company said operations resumed on Saturday.
Signature Aviation confirmed that French authorities instructed that all nonscheduled "public air transport" flights using aircraft with less than 19 seats or with an mtow less than 22,000 pounds should not operate in the Paris terminal maneuvering area. A notam issued as the strike action started also instructed operators to cancel all private flights, with the exception of those associated with medical emergencies, search and rescue, firefighting, and other government missions.
The striking controllers were based at air traffic management facilities in Marseille, Brest, and Reims. Hundreds of scheduled flights were cancelled by operators, resulting in passengers being stranded at airports and facing long delays.
Controllers Strike Disrupts Traffic at French Airports
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A two-day strike by some French air traffic controllers on Thursday and Friday has caused the cancellation of at least 40% of flights to and from the country’s airports. France’s DGAC aviation safety agency ordered a reduction in movements at Paris-area airports, including the business aviation hub at Le Bourget (LFPB), and traffic has also been severely disrupted in Nice, Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier.
Only 270 of around 1,400 French controllers joined the work stoppage. According to the UNSA-ICNA and USAC-CGT trade unions, the action has been taken to protest against what they say are unacceptable working conditions and understaffing. France’s transport minister Philippe Tabarot condemned the strike, which has disrupted the start of the country’s summer vacation season, as well as causing wider problems for airlines operating in other parts of Europe.
According to the ground-handling team at ExecuJet's FBO at LFPB, there were no movements at the facility on either strike day, with 22 customer flights canceled. The company said operations resumed on Saturday.
Signature Aviation confirmed that French authorities instructed that all nonscheduled "public air transport" flights using aircraft with less than 19 seats or with an mtow than 22,000 pounds should not operate in the Paris terminal maneuvering area. A notam issued as the strike action started also instructed operators to cancel all private flights.