The New York Times blog, AP and other news sources report that air traffic controllers in France are planning three days of strike actions starting June 11 and that their counterparts in other EU countries may follow suit, although in more limited ways. At issue is a plan by the European Commission to push the integration of air traffic management systems in Europe.
The strikes and actions are being timed to coincide with a speech on June 11 by the EU’s transportation commissioner Siim Kallas, who is expected to announce disputed changes to EU legislation to speed up transfer of some air traffic management functions to a centralized Brussels location and away from member nations’ local management.
Civil aviation authorities in France asked airlines serving airports in Paris, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux to cut flight schedules by 50 percent from Tuesday morning until late Thursday in order to lessen the burden on those airports, where major disruptions were expected.
British Airways said it would cancel at least 90 flights between the UK and France on out of a normal schedule of 120 services between the two countries. In a statement, the airline said: “British Airways flights to and from France will be affected at Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh.
On its corporate website, Air France said it expects to transport all its customers on long-haul flights to and from Paris. It will also work to adapt its short and medium-haul flight schedule. “As far as possible, Air France recommends its customers with a reservation on short and medium-haul flights to postpone their trip during this period,” it said. Last-minute delays and cancellations can also be expected.
A series of expected storms in Western Europe is expected to cause further delays.
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