Eurostar and airlines face disruption due to French strikes over half term

16 February 2023 , 10:58

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EasyJet has had to cancel flights today (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Eurostar services and flights have been cancelled today as the French transport sector is hit by a series of massive strikes, amidst the half term holidays.

A wide range of transport workers joining industrial action staged in protest of the pension age being raised two years to 64 today.

Action by air-traffic controllers began at 6pm French time on 15 February and continues until 6am on Friday 17 February, with the worst of the chaos likely to occur today.

Ahead of Thursday 30% of flights at Paris Orly airport were cancelled, with the potential for more on the day if the disruption is worse than expected, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced.

Have you been caught up in the strikes? Email [email protected]

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One airport was told to cancel 30% of its flights today (AFP via Getty Images)

At airports in Toulouse, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier and Nantes 20% of flights were grounded pre-emptively.

Air France says it hopes to run all of its long distance flights and 91% of it short and medium flights today.

Of the UK airlines, easyJet is likely to be the worst affected today and tomorrow, as it flies hundreds of flights across French airspace each day.

The budget airline confirmed it had been asked to cancelled part of its flight programme ahead of today, and that affected passengers would be able to change their flight for free or receive a refund.

So far two return easyJet flights have been affected - from Bristol to Paris Orly and London Gatwick to Lyon.

“While this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to customers for any inconvenience they may experience as a result of the strike action," a spokesperson for the airline said.

Ryanair's spokesperson was critical of the strikes (AFP via Getty Images)

“As French rail services may also be affected, we recommend customers plan their journey to or from the airport in advance and allow extra time to travel."

Ryanair, which says “a small number of flights” will be cancelled, has again directed its ire towards the European Commission and striking workers for "abandoning hundreds of thousands of passengers".

The company claims that "a small number of French Air Traffic Controllers who close the skies over France for EU passengers" have hijacked the industry.

As of yesterday British Airways had cancelled a round-trip from London Heathrow to Lyon, the Independent reported.

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A spokesperson for the airline said: "We are not seeing any significant impact due to the French Air Traffic Control strikes."

Eurostar has also been impacted by the strikes, with the rail service cancelling two trains between London St Pancras and Paris Nord today.

Milo Boyd