Holiday chaos as Edinburgh flights cancelled on second day of strikes
Travel chaos has hit holidaymakers with flights cancelled due to strikes.
Easyjet scrapped several journeys from Edinburgh Airport on Friday after French air traffic control union workers announced strike action on July 3 and 4. This comes after alleged issues around understaffing, burnout and overworking.
Tens of thousands of holidaymakers face summer holiday disruption due to the industrial action. Edinburgh Airport cancelled a series of departure flights to Paris Charles De Gaulle today, axing both the 9.45am and 6.30pm routes, reports the Daily Record.
Scheduled arrivals at 2.10pm and 10.35pm from Paris were also cancelled. AirFrance also axed routes from Paris to Edinburgh, cancelling both 4.35pm and the 5.35pm flights.
Easyjet also axed the 10.40am and 8.20pm flights from Glasgow Airport to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport today. Flights coming in from Paris to Glasgow have also been called off, with the 14.50pm and 19.45pm routes affected. The airport advised passengers to contact airlines directly.
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EasyJet has apologised to those affected by the cancelled flights but say "it is outside of our control and is considered to be an extraordinary circumstance."
On the easyJet website, a statement reads: "We're sorry that your flight has been cancelled. This is due to an industrial action affecting air traffic control staff in France.
"We understand that this will be disappointing news and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to make new plans."
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Passengers affected can either select a new flight for free, request an easyJet voucher for the full face value of your ticket or request a refund, which will be issued within seven days. Yesterday RyanAir was forced to cancel flights from Edinburgh to Biarritz, Paris and Toulouse.
The French civil aviation agency DGAC asked several airlines yesterday to reduce the number of flights at airports in Paris by 40% during the industrial action. Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary called for the president of the European Commission to change the EU's air traffic controllers' services.
He said: "Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike.
"It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays."
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