LATEST: On Wednesday morning, the main union announced that the strike would be called off after reaching an agreement nevertheless French authorities say scores of flights will still have to be cancelled. You can get the latest news HERE.

Unions have called a one-day strike on Thursday, April 25th, but have indicated that they will also file strike notices for May 9th, 10th and 11th – a holiday weekend in France.

The strike is going to be “very strongly followed”, said Pascal de Izaguirre, the head of FNAM, an umbrella group of French aviation industry unions.

“It will have a huge impact,” he said.

The French civil aviation authority said on Tuesday night that 60 percent of flights would be cancelled;

READ ALSO Which airports will be worst affected by the strike?

The SNCTA, the union that represents over 60 percent of air traffic controllers in France, told the French press on Monday that they expected “record turnout”.

“As a result, people should expect major disruption and long delays,” a representative from the SNCTA union told AFP.

Another union, UNSA-UTCAC, had also filed a strike notice for Thursday.

You can keep up with updates at The Local’s strikes section. 

The strike is a 24-hour one but there may be knock-on disruption on Friday – anyone with a flight booked on Thursday should check with their airline before going to the airport.

Disruptions can also affect flights flying over French airspace. 

READ MORE: Your rights on delayed or cancelled flights in France

Why the industrial action?

Unions are protesting against an ‘insulting’ overhaul of air navigation services, a topic that has been under discussion for the past 15 months. Air traffic authorities are seeking to reorganise the work of air traffic controllers to better deal with expected increases in traffic.

However, unions believe that this must also coincide with pay and hiring increases.

A representative for SNTCA told French media that the proposed accompanying measures have been insufficient. They are seeking salary increases of 5.04 percent per year in 2025, 2026 and 2027, as well as the doubling of their ‘special qualification allowance’.

The industrial action comes as a surprise, as the SCNTA had previously agreed to an ‘Olympic truce’.

The agreement was that the union would not call strikes until after conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in exchange for increased pay and a new round of salary discussions after the Games.