France’s Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) instructed airlines late on Monday, 28 September, to trim their schedules at two of the country’s busiest airports in anticipation of Tuesday’s nationwide public-sector strike. Under the notice, carriers were told to cancel five percent of departures and arrivals at Paris Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle between 07:00 and 20:00, while Marseille-Provence was asked to cut a quarter of operations between 16:00 and midnight. The regulator said the reductions were necessary “to limit disruption and guarantee the safety of air operations” as air-traffic-control staff join the civil-service walk-out. Smaller regional gateways—including Nantes, Strasbourg, Limoges, Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées and Pau—were warned to expect delays and isolated cancellations. Although the level of disruption is lower than during targeted ATC strikes seen earlier this year, business travellers have been advised to re-check itineraries and allow extra connection time: flights transiting French airspace can also be re-routed or slowed. Human-resources managers moving staff into or out of France this week are urged to build additional buffer time into relocation schedules and consider flexible tickets. Companies operating time-critical supply chains (for example, express spare-parts shipments that use belly-hold cargo) should track flight status closely and explore trucking or rail alternatives where feasible. From an immigration-compliance perspective, foreign employees entering under the Passeport-Talent scheme or other work-authorisation categories must still present their visas within the normal timeline at the border; the DGAC cuts do not suspend these obligations. However, longer queues often accompany even modest flight reductions, so mobility teams should remind travellers to carry originals of work permits and appointment letters in hand luggage in case of schedule changes or re-routing through secondary airports.
Source: The Connexion
