LAST UPDATE | 15 Sep 2022

RYANAIR HAS CANCELLED 420 flights tomorrow due to a one day strike in France.

In a statement, Ryanair said that the flights were cancelled due to an air traffic controller  strike taking place across France tomorrow.

The company said that the cancellations are set to impact 80,000 customers, with cancellations primarily of flights that fly over France.

“Due to a one-day French ATC strike on Friday (16th Sept), we have regrettably been forced to cancel 420 flights (disrupting 80,000 passengers) mainly overflying France,” said Ryanair in a statement on Twitter.

“It is inexplicable that thousands of European citizens/visitors will have their travel plans unfairly disrupted (Fri 16th Sept) by yet another French ATC strike and that flights which overfly France are disrupted by French ATC strikes yet domestic French flights are protected by minimum service laws.”

pic.twitter.com/rSIYL2cgWT

— Ryanair Press Team (@RyanairPress) September 15, 2022

The company has said that all impacted customers have been notified by email or text.

“Ryanair sincerely apologises to its customers for these unnecessary disruptions that this French ATC strike will cause them,” the company added.

Ryanair confirmed that flights to and from Ireland would be impacted, but could not give an indication of how many would be cancelled.

Aer Lingus has announced that it will be cancelling 12 flights to and from France tomorrow due to the strike action.

These flights are:

• EI524 Dublin (DUB) to Paris (CDG)
• EI525 Paris (CDG) to Dublin (DUB)
• EI528 Dublin (DUB) to Paris (CDG)
• EI529 Paris (CDG) to Dublin (DUB)
• EI544 Dublin (DUB) to Nice (NCE)
• EI545 Nice (NCE) to Dublin (DUB)
• EI506 Dublin (DUB) to Bordeaux (BOD)
• EI507 Bordeaux (BOD) to Dublin (DUB)
• EI552 Dublin (DUB) to Lyon (LYS)
• EI553 Lyon (LYS) to Dublin (DUB)
• EI538 Dublin (DUB) to Nantes (NTE)
• EI539 Nantes (NTE) to Dublin (DUB)

Aer Lingus has said that any impacted customer will be able to change their booking free of charge through their ‘manage booking’ facility, their call centre or their social media channels.

“We apologise to all impacted customers for any inconvenience caused,” said a spokesperson for Aer Lingus.

Yesterday, Air France cancelled more than half its short and medium-haul flights for Friday due to the air traffic controller strikes.

“We can’t rule out delays and last-minute cancellations” among the flights that remain, the airline said in a statement, adding that affected customers would be warned by text message and email.

France’s biggest air traffic controllers’ union, SNCTA, called its members out on strike, with representatives raising concerns that inflation is eroding spending power.

Additional reporting by AFP