Thousands of passengers faced massive disruption this week as air traffic controllers in France went on a two-day strike demanding better pay, more staff, and updated equipment. The protest started on Wednesday and forced major airlines to cancel flights across Europe during the busy summer travel period.

Airlines Cancel Hundreds of Flights

Due to the strike, over 1,500 flights were grounded, affecting nearly 300,000 travellers. Budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet suffered the most. Ryanair cancelled 170 flights, while easyJet scrapped 274 services. The timing made things worse as the strike happened during France’s busy “Grand Départ,” the traditional start of summer holidays.

Protesters Demand Pay Hikes and Better Staffing

Two major unions—UNSA-ICNA and USAC-CGT—led the strike. They demanded higher salaries, more hiring, and modernisation of outdated systems. France’s civil aviation authority responded by ordering flight reductions of up to 50% at certain airports.

Frédéric Deleau from the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations warned, “The protests in France will eventually have a negative impact on the network, that’s for sure.”

Airlines and EU Urged to Act

Airlines have criticised the strikes, calling on EU leaders to protect flights that pass over France but don’t land there. Ryanair asked politicians to take action, saying the strikes were disrupting their business while air traffic controllers suffer from “overwork and burnout.”

But solving the problem won’t be easy. Training new air traffic controllers takes at least three years. Additionally, Europe’s air traffic control is divided among 40 different providers, making coordination difficult.

A Chaotic Summer for European Air Travel

Experts believe 2024 could become the worst year yet for European aviation. Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, told Politico, “Every summer since Covid has been the worst summer until now.”

He added, “We have a finite airspace, a finite number of runways, the airports have capacity constraints … any disruption, because we have very little buffers, it’s going to mess up the whole system.”

European Commissioner for Transport Apostolos Tzitzikostas also echoed those concerns. He said, “2024 was the worst year for European aviation in terms of flight delays” and warned the “situation this year is likely to deteriorate further.”