Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

STRIKES

Flights cancelled in France’s latest pension strike

The next day of strikes and demos by opponents of pension reform will see flight cancellations at France's main airports, the French civil aviation authority has announced.

Published: 1 June 2023 17:12 CEST
Flights cancelled in France's latest pension strike
Photo by BORIS HORVAT / AFP

After a break of several weeks, the next strike day in France’s long-running battle over pension reform is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6th.

Disruption from one-day mass strikes has become less severe over time, but on Thursday the French civil aviation authority announced that flights in and out of Paris Orly, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes airports will be affected by walk-outs from air traffic controllers. Paris Charles de Gaulle airport will not be affected.

The Direction générale de l’aviation civile (DGAC) has requested that airlines cancel 33 percent of flights in and out of Paris Orly airport, and 20 percent of flights in and out of Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes

Flights that pass over French airspace could also be affected.

The DGAC advised travellers to postpone their journey if possible. 

The disruption will last from the evening of Monday, June 5th to the morning of Wednesday, June 7th, with the possibility of knock-on effects later in the week.

The DGAC tells airlines to cancel a certain percentage of flights, and then it is up to airlines to decide which flights to cancel. The airlines generally try to protect long-haul flights to minimise disruption.

Anyone with a flight booked is advised to contact their airline. 

June 6th marks the latest in a series of one-day strikes that have gripped the country since January over Emmanuel Macron’s reforms to the French pension system, including raising the pension age from 62 to 64. The reform has now passed into law, but political opponents have a final opportunity to try and block it in parliament on June 8th.

It’s likely that June 6th will also see some level of disruption on the national rail network and city public transport – full details will be published on Monday.

There will also be marches and demos in towns and cities around France.

You can keep up with the latest on service disruption in our strike section HERE. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TRAVEL NEWS

The key French autoroutes to avoid during France’s long May holiday weekend

If you are planning to drive in France over the long Ascension weekend, then here are some motorways to avoid.

Published: 7 May 2024 13:52 CEST
The key French autoroutes to avoid during France's long May holiday weekend

Workers in France have the rare opportunity this week to enjoy two back-to-back public holidays – VE Day on Wednesday and Ascension on Thursday.

As a result, French motorways will be more crowded than usual, with many people planning to take advantage of the days off to build themselves a long weekend. 

READ MORE: Travel, events, closures: What to expect over France’s double public holiday this week

In terms of traffic, roads will be particularly congested on Tuesday and Sunday, and to a lesser extent on Wednesday and Saturday, according to French traffic watchdog Bison Futé.

Here are motorways you should avoid:

The A13

As a reminder, part of the A13 motorway has been closed for works between Paris and Vaucresson, in the Hauts-de-Seine département, and it is not expected to reopen until Friday morning.

Motorists looking to get to and from Normandy from the capital region are advised to take the A14, A15 or N12 instead.

Along other parts of the motorway, there will also be slowdowns;

Wednesday – Avoid it between Orgeval and Rouen from 10 am to 5pm and between Rouen and Caen between 11am and 1pm.

Sunday – Avoid it  between Caen and Paris from 11 am to 4 pm

The A6 and A10

Heavy traffic is predicted along both motorways in the capital region on Tuesday evening, Saturday and Sunday.

The A7

Tuesday – For motorists in the Paris region, Bison Futé predicted that traffic would “remain very heavy until late in the evening”. Motorists travelling between Valence and Orange should avoid it from 5pm to 11pm.

Wednesday – Avoid it between Lyon and Orange from 11am to 5pm.

Saturday – Avoid it between Orange and Lyon from 1pm to 8pm.

Sunday – Avoid it between Salon-de-Provence and Orange from 11am to 1pm and between Orange and Lyon from 12pm to 9pm. 

The A9

Wednesday – Generally more congested than normal, be prepared.

Saturday – Avoid it between Spain and Narbonne from 12noon to 6pm

Sunday – Avoid it between Spain and Narbonne from 1pm to 6pm, and between Montpellier and Orange from 3pm to 5pm.

The A11

Tuesday – Avoid it between Angers and Nantes between 3pm to 7pm.

Sunday – Avoid it between Angers and Le Mans from 4pm to 8pm

The A25

Saturday – Avoid it between Socx and Lille, from 6pm to 9pm.

Sunday – Avoid it between Socx and Lille from 4pm to 6pm.

The A61

Tuesday – Avoid it between Toulouse and Narbonne from 4pm to 7pm.

Wednesday – Avoid it between Toulouse and Narbonne from 10am and 4pm.

Sunday – Avoid it between Narbonne and Toulouse from 3pm to 7pm.

Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205)

Tuesday – Avoid it in the France-Italy direction from 9am to 11pm

Wednesday – Avoid it in the France-Italy direction from 7am to 6pm

Saturday – Avoid it in the Italy-France direction from 1pm to 8pm

Sunday – Avoid it in the Italy-France direction from 11am to 11pm

SHOW COMMENTS