Speaking to journalists on 21 January and reiterated in an interview published by The Connexion on 23 January 2026, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary warned that French air-traffic-control (ATC) unions are preparing weekend walk-outs from May or June, threatening to replicate last year’s disruption that forced the low-cost carrier to cancel 170 flights in a single weekend. (connexionfrance.com)
O’Leary claimed that chronic understaffing rather than genuine capacity constraints drives France’s ATC delays and called on the European Commission to fine providers that fail to roster sufficient controllers for the early-morning departure wave. Eurocontrol data show French ATC accounted for 31 % of all en-route delay minutes across Europe during summer 2025.
![Ryanair chief predicts ‘another mess’ as French air-traffic controllers eye summer strikes]()
Amid these uncertainties, travellers should also ensure that their travel documents are up to date. VisaHQ’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) streamlines the process of securing or renewing visas for France and nearby destinations, offers real-time entry-rule alerts, and can courier passports on short notice—giving corporate travel teams one less variable to worry about when flights are disrupted at the last minute.
Because France sits beneath many north–south flight corridors, a strike can snarl traffic as far away as the UK, Spain and Italy, forcing airlines to perform expensive reroutes via German or Mediterranean airspace and adding up to 20 minutes per sector. Airlines have begun contingency planning: some are pencilling additional fuel uplifts and looking at tactical night-stops outside France to protect morning schedules.
For mobility managers the warning is a prompt to review summer assignment calendars, negotiate flexible tickets and ensure travellers carry adequate duty-of-care insurance. Companies operating time-critical freight charters should also liaise with brokers about diversion options to Ostend or Basel in the event of French airspace closures.
O’Leary claimed that chronic understaffing rather than genuine capacity constraints drives France’s ATC delays and called on the European Commission to fine providers that fail to roster sufficient controllers for the early-morning departure wave. Eurocontrol data show French ATC accounted for 31 % of all en-route delay minutes across Europe during summer 2025.
Amid these uncertainties, travellers should also ensure that their travel documents are up to date. VisaHQ’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) streamlines the process of securing or renewing visas for France and nearby destinations, offers real-time entry-rule alerts, and can courier passports on short notice—giving corporate travel teams one less variable to worry about when flights are disrupted at the last minute.
Because France sits beneath many north–south flight corridors, a strike can snarl traffic as far away as the UK, Spain and Italy, forcing airlines to perform expensive reroutes via German or Mediterranean airspace and adding up to 20 minutes per sector. Airlines have begun contingency planning: some are pencilling additional fuel uplifts and looking at tactical night-stops outside France to protect morning schedules.
For mobility managers the warning is a prompt to review summer assignment calendars, negotiate flexible tickets and ensure travellers carry adequate duty-of-care insurance. Companies operating time-critical freight charters should also liaise with brokers about diversion options to Ostend or Basel in the event of French airspace closures.
