Over 400 flights have been cancelled as French air traffic control strike is set to cause a second day of chaos
More than 400 flights have been cancelled across Europe due to the French air traffic control strikes that started yesterday, and the worst could be yet to come.
In addition to the Brest and Bordeaux control centres which were on strike yesterday, the Marseille sector will now be involved in the action too. The five-day strike lasts until Friday 10 March.
Read more: Dozens of UK flights cancelled as French air traffic control strike begins
Other than France, the most affected countries yesterday were the UK, Spain, Italy and Ireland, according to Airlines For Europe (A4E).
Today, Ryanair has cancelled 82 flights on top of the 45 it cancelled yesterday, including 10 London Stansted flights.
The Irish airline said in a statement: “We regret that we have again been forced to cancel a number of flights due to another strike by French ATC unions. We sincerely apologise to all customers whose travel plans are being disrupted by these unjustified strikes, who have been contacted by email and SMS text message and advised of their options. The strike may also affect flights overflying France and we expect some flight delays and possible further cancellations."
Customers scheduled to fly should check the status of their flight on the home page of the website where updates will be published.
Read more: 1,000 flights set to be cancelled due to French air traffic control strike
EasyJet has had to cancel 43 flights, four of which are UK touching. Yesterday it announced 38 cancellations, including two London Gatwick flights, while others in the capital faced delays.
“EasyJet is disappointed at this unnecessary strike action causing further disruption for passengers and airlines across Europe. As a member of Airlines for Europe (A4E), we are working with other airlines to call on governments and the EU to develop an action plan to minimise the impact of ATC strikes on passengers," a spokesperson said.
From 2010 to 2016 there were 217 ATC strike days in the EU. A4E said that since 2010 the overall impact of ATC strikes have cost €12bn (£10.4bn) to the EU economy, associated with more than 140,000 jobs.
Airspace affected by the strike (Source: A4E)