A 24-hour strike by two major controllers’ unions on 8 July forced the cancellation of 933 flights at French airports, according to business wire AK&M. Long-range overflights were also rerouted, triggering slot restrictions as far away as Copenhagen and Madrid. The unions accuse air-navigation service provider DSNA of understaffing and of implementing the new 4-FLIGHT traffic-management system without sufficient training. DSNA counters that it met a 6 % pay-rise pledge last year and that software glitches have dropped 40 % since March. For corporates, the disruption was acute: Paris CDG lost 41 % of departures between 06:00 and 12:00, forcing airlines to re-protect passengers on weekend flights already near capacity. Logistics firms reported average shipment delays of 14 hours, and at least three semiconductor manufacturers activated contingency plans to truck critical cargo to Frankfurt for onward airlift. The wider economic cost is still being tallied, but Airlines for Europe estimates European carriers burned an extra €5 million in fuel owing to detours. Ryanair renewed calls for EU-wide minimum-service rules, while French business-aviation lobby EBAA France warned that repeated strikes erode Paris’s reputation as a hub for time-sensitive corporate mobility. Although no further strike dates have been filed, unions say a new ballot in September is possible if DSNA refuses to slow the 4-FLIGHT rollout—a scenario travel managers should monitor closely when planning autumn meetings in France.
Source: AK&M Newswire
