Ryanair Cancels 300 Flights Due to French Strike: Airline Urges EU to Protect Overflights and Prevent Future Disruptions

A strike by French air traffic controllers resulted in the cancellation of over 300 Ryanair flights across Europe on Thursday, affecting approximately 50,000 passengers.

The disruption occurred despite the withdrawal of strike action by one of the largest unions, which came too late to prevent cancellations.

Ryanair called on the European Commission to reform EU skies and protect overflights to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

Airline passengers with disrupted flights due to French air traffic control strikes will primarily be flying over French airspace to destinations like Greece, Spain, and other European countries.

Ryanair, an Irish airline, urged European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to take action to protect overflights during strikes, allowing other European controllers to manage flights over France, and limiting union strike power.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary believed French flights should be canceled instead of flights originating from other countries.

The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has not taken any action to protect overflights and the single market for air travel for the past five years.

This inaction has resulted in numerous flight cancellations, and the issue is being raised once again.

Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, is optimistic that air travel disruptions will be significantly reduced during summer 2024 compared to the past two years, despite recent French strikes.

However, he emphasizes the need for the European Commission to take action to protect overflights to eliminate most of the flight cancellations.