Transport services in France are set for major disruption over the next few days due to another nationwide strike in protest at proposed pension reforms by the French government.
Flights and train services have been reduced with warnings of delays issued for passengers who intend to travel on Tuesday and Wednesday (7-8 March).
Unlike previous walkouts by employees across multiple sectors in France there is no specified end point for the latest industrial action - leading to fears of travel disruption for several days.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has asked airlines to reduce their flight schedules on Tuesday and Wednesday, by 20 per cent at the main hub of Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Services will also be cut by around 30 per cent over the next two days at Paris Orly, Beauvais, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice and Toulouse airports.
High-speed international rail companies Eurostar and Thalys are both cutting around one-third of their normal schedule due to the strike.
“It will involve disruption across multiple sectors, including national rail services and it will have an impact on the availability of some of our crew. In addition, we’ve now been informed of reduced opening hours on the high-speed line we use in Northern France on 7 March,” said Eurostar in a statement.
French rail operator SNCF warned that all services operated by SNCF Voyageurs would be “severely disrupted” on 7 March. Only around 20 per cent of TGV and TER services are due to run on the first day of the strike.
“SNCF Voyageurs recommends that passengers who are able to do so should cancel or postpone their planned trips on this day, and that they prefer to work from home,” added the company.
Around 1.4 million workers are expected to take industrial action across France this week as they fight plans by the government to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.