Ryanair has said up to 600 flights a day could be cancelled next week as French air traffic controllers walk out, potentially affecting 100,000 passengers daily.
The strike, called by France’s largest ATC union SNCTA, is scheduled from 7–10 October and will impact not just flights into France but also overflights to popular holiday destinations such as Spain, Italy, and Greece.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary urged the EU to step in, arguing that overflights should be protected. “We cannot have a single market yet close that market every time the French go on strike,” he said, adding that if flights must be grounded, “they should be flights arriving to and from France – not overflights.”
The airline believes Eurocontrol could take charge of rerouting flights during strikes.
The warning follows weeks of disruption: a smaller French strike on Thursday forced Ryanair to cancel about 30 flights, while a previous stoppage on 18 September delayed more than 190 services and stranded 35,000 passengers.
Other airlines, including EasyJet and British Airways, have not yet given estimates of the potential impact.
The strikes come amid wider strains on European air traffic, with staff shortages, technical issues, and closed airspace over Russia and Ukraine already tightening flight paths and increasing delays.
