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ARCHIVED - French air traffic controller strike grounds several flights in Spain
Airport operators in Spain warn of more possible flight disruptions this coming weekend
It’s been a summer of travel chaos across Europe with airport and airline strikes happening left and right, and just when the situation is quietening down in Spain, Enaire and Aena have warned of more possible delays and even cancellations as air traffic controllers in France down tools for 24 hours on Friday September 16.
French air traffic controllers, represented by the National Union of Air Traffic Controllers (Sntac, for its French acronym), have called the industrial action because of a supposed ‘delay’ in hiring new staff in expectation of a wave of retirements in the coming months. In addition, as was the case with Ryanair workers in Spain before them, the union has demanded wage increases in line with current inflation.
In a message posted on Twitter, Enaire has reported that the strike will begin this Friday at 6am and has recommended that passengers check the status of flights with their airline.
Aena quickly followed with its own post, indicating that this Friday there are some 6,000 scheduled flights in Spain, 280 of which are with France and that 32 of them have already been cancelled.
Given the geographical location of France, the strike could effect all air traffic in Europe that usually flies over its airspace, and several passengers have already reported cancellations of flights from Murcia’s Corvera Airport to Dublin on Friday.
The worst affected Spanish airlines this weekend are Vueling and Voleta, with 78 and 72 cancellations, respectively, although most of the effected operations aren’t actually to or from Spain at the moment.
The bad news doesn’t end there, as the French controllers have threatened another possible three-day strike from September 28-30 if negotiations don’t progress.
Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport in the UK has cancelled flights and rerouted others so they don’t fly over the procession at the Queen’s funeral on Monday and disrupt it.
Image: Enaire
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