Ryanair has warned that up to 600 flights a day could be cancelled next week due to planned French air traffic control (ATC) strikes, potentially affecting around 100,000 passengers daily.
France’s largest ATC union, SNCTA, has called strikes from 7 to 10 October, reducing capacity across western European airspace. Routes over France — including UK flights to Spain, Italy, and Greece — are expected to be hardest hit.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary repeated calls for the EU to protect overflights, arguing passengers travelling across France should not be caught up in domestic disputes.
“They have the right to strike,” O’Leary said, “but if flights are to be cancelled they should be flights arriving to and from France. They should not be overflights.”
He urged the European Commission and Ursula von der Leyen to intervene, adding that Eurocontrol could step in to manage overflights during strike action.
Other airlines have not yet confirmed their cancellation numbers, but industry-wide disruption is expected.
Ryanair said about 30 flights were cancelled on Thursday during a smaller union strike, while another strike on 18 September delayed 190 of its flights, affecting 35,000 passengers.
Post-pandemic staffing shortages and the closure of Ukrainian and Russian airspace have already left European skies congested, with strikes adding further pressure.
EasyJet and British Airways have been contacted for comment.
