France has announced widespread flight cancellations across its airports this Thursday, despite the main air traffic control unions suspending their strike action after reaching an agreement, according to La Vanguardia.
In Paris, approximately 75% of flights at Orly Airport and 55% at Charles de Gaulle Airport are cancelled today, as per notifications from the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) to airlines.
At Marseille Airport, 65% of flights are cancelled, and 45% of operations are suspended at other French airports, according to a DGAC document.
These figures are very close to what was anticipated by authorities last Tuesday before the main air traffic control union, SNCTA, announced a resolution on Wednesday.
Sources suggest the cancellations are due to logistical difficulties in reorganizing operations on such short notice.
The SNCTA, which garnered 60% of air traffic controller votes in the last professional elections, has not released details of the agreement.
This retreat from the strike, followed by a last-minute reconciliation early Wednesday morning with the DGAC, comes after failed negotiations concerning salary increases and a project to reform the French air traffic control system.
This development raises new concerns about the risk of strikes during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris at the end of July, expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.
According to the group managing Paris airports, Charles de Gaulle Airport welcomed 203,000 travellers last Monday, and Orly Airport saw 111,000 travellers. Together, they account for half of the total airport traffic in France.
