Travellers across France experienced a bruising start to the weekend on 7 February when six major airports racked up 433 delays and 33 cancellations, according to live data analysed by Travel and Tour World. Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) bore the brunt with 219 delayed and 18 cancelled flights, while Paris-Orly logged more than 100 delays.
Airport operators blamed a toxic mix of fog, crew rostering gaps and knock-on effects from Thursday’s European air-traffic-management system glitch. Flag-carrier Air France recorded 132 disrupted services, but low-cost carriers easyJet, Vueling and Transavia were also hard-hit, affecting city-pair staples such as Paris–Nice, Lyon–Barcelona and Bordeaux–Amsterdam.
Although the current issue is one of punctuality rather than paperwork, sudden reroutings often expose travellers to unexpected transit or entry requirements. VisaHQ’s self-service portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) allows passengers and travel managers to verify visa rules for every leg of an itinerary, secure electronic authorisations and arrange courier filings in a single dashboard—helping avoid last-minute border surprises when flights are diverted or re-booked.
![French Airports See 466 Flight Disruptions in Single Day, Underscoring Winter Capacity Strain]()
For mobility managers the episode is another reminder that France’s winter timetable remains highly sensitive to weather and staffing variables—even outside formal strike periods. Companies with Monday-morning meetings in Paris or Toulouse scrambled to re-book staff onto high-speed trains; SNCF reported a 12 % surge in last-minute TGV sales between 10:00 and 15:00.
Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers delayed more than three hours may claim up to €600 unless “extraordinary circumstances” apply. Travel-risk consultants recommend collecting delay certificates immediately, because airlines often block online claims without documentary proof. Employers should also review duty-of-care policies: overnight hotel costs in Paris suburbs averaged €189 on Friday, well above many corporate caps.
The Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) says it is monitoring punctuality levels and will consider slot waivers if cascading delays jeopardise Sunday’s return-peak. With the Easter getaway only eight weeks away, corporate travel buyers are urging airports to stress-test contingency rosters now rather than rely on last-minute overtime.
Airport operators blamed a toxic mix of fog, crew rostering gaps and knock-on effects from Thursday’s European air-traffic-management system glitch. Flag-carrier Air France recorded 132 disrupted services, but low-cost carriers easyJet, Vueling and Transavia were also hard-hit, affecting city-pair staples such as Paris–Nice, Lyon–Barcelona and Bordeaux–Amsterdam.
Although the current issue is one of punctuality rather than paperwork, sudden reroutings often expose travellers to unexpected transit or entry requirements. VisaHQ’s self-service portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) allows passengers and travel managers to verify visa rules for every leg of an itinerary, secure electronic authorisations and arrange courier filings in a single dashboard—helping avoid last-minute border surprises when flights are diverted or re-booked.
For mobility managers the episode is another reminder that France’s winter timetable remains highly sensitive to weather and staffing variables—even outside formal strike periods. Companies with Monday-morning meetings in Paris or Toulouse scrambled to re-book staff onto high-speed trains; SNCF reported a 12 % surge in last-minute TGV sales between 10:00 and 15:00.
Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers delayed more than three hours may claim up to €600 unless “extraordinary circumstances” apply. Travel-risk consultants recommend collecting delay certificates immediately, because airlines often block online claims without documentary proof. Employers should also review duty-of-care policies: overnight hotel costs in Paris suburbs averaged €189 on Friday, well above many corporate caps.
The Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) says it is monitoring punctuality levels and will consider slot waivers if cascading delays jeopardise Sunday’s return-peak. With the Easter getaway only eight weeks away, corporate travel buyers are urging airports to stress-test contingency rosters now rather than rely on last-minute overtime.
