Ryanair claims French airport strikers wanted ‘time off' amid travel chaos
One million airline passengers were affected by a French air-traffic control walkout earlier in July, costing airlines an estimated £100m.
Eurocontrol, an aviation association, said nearly 3,000 flights were cancelled and more than 7,400 delayed amid the strike action. Ryanair cancelled 718, representing 21 per cent of the total schedule.
After the walkout on 3 and 4 July, Ryanair claimed that some French air traffic staff continued to strike or called in sick over the weekend in order to gain additional leave.
'On the Saturday and Sunday, some controllers decided to strike and others rang in sick, which resulted in two more days of cancellations,' said Jade Kirwan, Ryanair communications director, according to The Telegraph.
'They were looking for some time off, so they opportunistically took that weekend. It was an absolute nightmare.'
Ryanair said it is concerned that similar action – and sickness claims – could continue throughout the summer, potentially causing more travel chaos for families during the school holidays.
'There is nothing to stop a million passengers being affected this time next week, or the week after or the week after that,' Ms Kirwan added.
The low-cost airline has labelled the strikes across Europe, and especially in France, as 'recreational'.
'While we recognise their right to strike, Europe's airlines have repeatedly called on the European Union Commission to protect overflights,' the airline's CEO, Michael O'Leary, said earlier this month.
'It is unacceptable that flights which overfly France, and which could operate without disruption, are needlessly cancelled, simply because the European Commission won't protect overflights, or defend the single market.'
Mr O'Leary also claimed that 90 per cent of the mass flight cancellations over the two initial strike days could have been avoided if the EU Commission had intervened.
'What's stopping French air traffic controllers from closing the EU skies again next week or the week after with more of these unjustified recreational strikes?' he added.
One in three of all flights in Europe fly to, from, within or over France, making those journeys more susceptible to industrial action by air traffic controllers.
In addition to the strikes, passengers have also been affected by airspace closures over eastern Europe and general staff shortages in air traffic control this summer.
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