Business travellers flying with Air France this week are likely to avoid disruption, despite a planned six-day French air traffic controllers strike.
In a statement the airline said it “expects to operate” all long-haul flights and more than 90 per cent of short and medium-haul flights.
Following the industrial action, taking place from June 24 to June 29, the French Civil Aviation Authority has instructed airlines to reduce their flight schedule by 20 per cent to and from Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Toulouse.
It also confirmed a reduction in flights to and from airports in the Paris region for flights to the south of France, the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.
Air France said if travellers have a ticket for a flight scheduled between June 24 and June 29 on one of the following flights:
- To/from Biarritz, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Pau, Toulon and Toulouse
- Between Paris-Orly or Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Spain, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
It offers the following measures: “To leave today (June 23) or postpone your departure to between June 30 and July 4 inclusive, subject to availability and at no extra cost.”
Air France has advised passengers wanting to amend or cancel their booking to go to the ‘consult/modify bookings’ section on the airline’s website.
Last week (June 20) more than 60 per cent of the 4,000 members of the SNCTA and UNSA-INCA unions voted in favour of industrial action.
The unions are striking over planned budgetary cuts from next year until 2019, cuts that are part of the European Commission's Single Sky Europe policy to reduce air navigation costs by rearranging airspace into "functional blocks".
The unions argue that the move will lead to the liberalisation and a "forced low-cost" ethos in air traffic.
Other airlines have responded to the impending strike action with Ryanair cancelling 26 flights to France on June 24.
British Airways has told Sky News it has cancelled several flights and expects "knock-on delays to some other short-haul" destinations.
Easyjet has also confirmed it has cancelled 32 non-UK flights to and from six French airports.
AirFrance.com