French May Day strikes: Airlines asked to cancel flights as air traffic controllers walk out

Travellers have been warned to expect flight disruption as French air traffic controllers plan to strike on 1 May.

France’s civil aviation authority says industrial action is likely to affect Paris’ Orly, Charles de Gaulle and Beauvais airports as well as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice.

But passengers could also face disruption even if their flight isn’t taking off or landing in France.

Monday 1 May is the next in a series of long-running French protests over an increase in the pension age from 62 to 64. Most unions are calling for people to take part in protests and marches on the streets.

But air traffic controllers have been taking part in rolling strikes and authorities have warned that this will result in disruption from the evening of Sunday 30 April until 6am on Tuesday 2 May.

In Paris, the Direction générale de l’aviation civile (DGAC) asked airlines to cancel 33 per cent of scheduled flights at Orly airport on 1 May and 25 per cent at Charles de Gaulle and Beauvais.

Across the rest of France, the civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cancel 33 per cent of flights in Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes and Toulouse and 25 per cent in Nice.

Flights that pass over French airspace are also likely to be affected by the disruption. Read on for more details on why.

Travellers are being asked to postpone trips if possible and anyone with a flight booked on those days is being advised to contact their airline for further details.

Around 3,300 flights take off or land in France every day - and 3,700 pass through the country’s airspace.

Because of its central European location, many flights make their way over France on their journey to other destinations. These ‘overflights’ are also affected when