France’s three main air-traffic-controller unions—SNCTA, UNSA-ICNA and USAC-CGT—downed tools for 48 hours on 9-10 February, triggering about 180 cancellations and dozens of knock-on delays that were still rippling through schedules on 11 February. The civil-aviation regulator DGAC ordered airlines to trim operations by up to 50 per cent at Paris-Orly and 30 per cent at Marseille, but carriers including Air France, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair still faced last-minute disruption. Average delays reached one hour at Orly and two hours in Marseille. (airhelp.ie)
Unions say the walk-out is a warning shot over staffing. Roughly 30 per cent of controllers are due to retire before 2030, yet hiring targets fall well short of one-for-one replacement. They also accuse DGAC of dragging its feet on a promised 2027 automation upgrade that would ease workloads. DGAC counters that recruitment is aligned with Eurocontrol traffic forecasts and that overtime budgets have been boosted to cover the 2026 summer season.
![French air-traffic-controller strike sparks 180 flight cancellations and Easter strike threat]()
Should rebooking require transiting via non-EU hubs, making sure passports and visas are valid becomes another moving part. VisaHQ’s France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers a quick, centralized way for travel teams and individual passengers to check requirements, submit visa applications and arrange courier services, helping to keep disruption-induced itinerary changes compliant and stress-free.
While EU Regulation 261 normally offers compensation for cancellations, strikes by air-traffic personnel are considered an “extraordinary circumstance”, meaning passengers are only entitled to care and rerouting. Corporate travel managers therefore face higher hotel and re-ticketing costs with limited recourse.
The unions have filed a seven-day pre-warning notice for a follow-up strike during the Easter holiday period if talks fail. Mobility teams should monitor NOTAMs, keep travellers on flexible fares and consider rail alternatives on short intra-European sectors that overfly French airspace—which handles around 65 per cent of continental over-flights.
Unions say the walk-out is a warning shot over staffing. Roughly 30 per cent of controllers are due to retire before 2030, yet hiring targets fall well short of one-for-one replacement. They also accuse DGAC of dragging its feet on a promised 2027 automation upgrade that would ease workloads. DGAC counters that recruitment is aligned with Eurocontrol traffic forecasts and that overtime budgets have been boosted to cover the 2026 summer season.
Should rebooking require transiting via non-EU hubs, making sure passports and visas are valid becomes another moving part. VisaHQ’s France page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers a quick, centralized way for travel teams and individual passengers to check requirements, submit visa applications and arrange courier services, helping to keep disruption-induced itinerary changes compliant and stress-free.
While EU Regulation 261 normally offers compensation for cancellations, strikes by air-traffic personnel are considered an “extraordinary circumstance”, meaning passengers are only entitled to care and rerouting. Corporate travel managers therefore face higher hotel and re-ticketing costs with limited recourse.
The unions have filed a seven-day pre-warning notice for a follow-up strike during the Easter holiday period if talks fail. Mobility teams should monitor NOTAMs, keep travellers on flexible fares and consider rail alternatives on short intra-European sectors that overfly French airspace—which handles around 65 per cent of continental over-flights.
