Will your flight be canceled on Thursday? The administration asked airlines on Tuesday to preemptively give up 30% of their flights Thursday at Paris-Orly airport against a backdrop of mobilization of air traffic controllers against the pension reform.
For the same reason, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) has required carriers to cancel 20% of their aircraft movements scheduled for Thursday at the airports of Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier and Nantes, a- she said in a statement.
First requests for “abatements”
It is the first time since the beginning of the movement against the pension reform that airports other than Orly have been affected by these requests for “reductions”, necessary in the name of safety: it is a question of matching airport traffic and the number of controllers available to manage it.
During the first three days of mobilization, the DGAC had requested the cancellation of 20% of the movements at Orly, while during the fourth, last Saturday, no preliminary measure had been taken. However, controllers had stopped work while the big unions had called for demonstrations, but not for strikes, regardless of the sector.
As a result, the DGAC had to cancel one out of two flights at Orly on Saturday afternoon in the short term, while Toulouse airport had closed in the evening, taking companies and many passengers by surprise. This time, the strike notice for Thursday “was relayed by several unions representing air traffic controllers”, explained the DGAC on Tuesday.
91% of short and medium-haul flights at Air France
“In order to limit traffic disruption”, the administration “will apply the provisions of the minimum service in the air navigation en route centers (CRNA, which manage the movements of aircraft in flight, editor’s note) and in the navigation services air from airports where the regulatory provisions allow it”, according to the same source.
The DGAC warned that “despite these preventive measures, disruptions and delays” were to be expected, and invited “passengers who can to postpone their trip and to inquire with their airline to find out the state of their flight.
Adapting its program to the requests of the DGAC, the Air France company indicated on Tuesday evening that it would provide “91% of its short and medium-haul flights” on Thursday and “all of its long-haul flights”.
“If last minute delays and cancellations cannot be ruled out, Air France plans to transport all customers in possession of a reservation for the day of February 16”, added the carrier, specifying that the customers affected by canceled flights would be notified individually.