The ongoing strike by air traffic controllers in France has led to significant restrictions in European air traffic on Friday, with direct and far-reaching impacts on Spain. By morning, 89 out of 327 planned flights to or from Spain had already been cancelled. This represents a substantial portion of daily flight traffic between the two countries and is causing massive problems for travelers.
Airports in Uproar: Paris, Lyon, and More with Drastic Cuts
The French hubs are particularly affected: at Paris airports Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Beauvais, flight capacity has been reduced by 40%. At airports in Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi, and Figari, there was also a 30% reduction in flights. Despite these preventive measures, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) warned of significant disruptions and delays at all French airports. Travelers are strongly advised to check flight information via the Aena search engine.
Airlines Under Fire: Ryanair and A4E with Sharp Criticism
The Association of European Airlines (A4E) sharply criticised the strike, highlighting that more than 1,500 flights were cancelled over both strike days, affecting nearly 300,000 passengers. A4E described French air traffic control as one of the weaknesses of the European system in 2025, leading to some of the worst delays in Europe.
Ryanair was particularly hard hit, forced to cancel a total of 400 flights, affecting over 70,000 passengers. The airline complained that these forced cancellations once again coincide with the start of the European summer holidays, one of the busiest times of the year. Ryanair also continues to condemn that overflights are not protected during national air traffic control strikes.
Air France adjusted its flight schedule for the two strike days but emphasised that all long-haul flights would be maintained. Passengers were asked to check the status of their flights on the website and were given the option to reschedule their journey free of charge.
Spain Feels the Brunt: Balearic Islands Particularly Affected
The effects of the strike are clearly felt in Spain. By 5:00 PM on Thursday, 71 flights to or from France had already been cancelled, which accounted for 32% of the planned 216 flight movements. For Friday, a total of 327 movements between the two countries were planned, and Aena reported the cancellation of at least 89 flights by nine in the morning. Besides the major hubs Madrid and Barcelona, airports in the Balearic Islands are particularly affected, where dozens of cancelled flights and widespread delays were recorded.
“Toxic” Management: Unions Denounce Grievances
Around 270 air traffic controllers in France went on strike on Thursday, July 3, representing about 20 percent of the total 1,400 employees in this group. After two unsuccessful meetings with the DGAC, the last one on Monday, the unions Unsa-Icna and Usac-CGT upheld their strike call. The largest air traffic control union, SNCTA, did not participate in the strike.
Unsa-Icna denounced a “toxic” and “authoritarian” management by the DGAC, criticising the institution’s failure to modernise the “indispensable” tools for air traffic controllers, despite “constantly promising that all resources in this area would be deployed.” The main cause of delays and performance deficiencies attributable to French air traffic control services was “generally known,” i.e., “structural inadequacy of staff.”
The DGAC regretted the choice of strike dates, as they coincide with the busiest days of the year due to the large number of holiday departures. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot finally ruled out meeting the demands of the unions, whom he called a “minority,” stating that “they are unacceptable, as is the decision to carry out this strike at the time of major holiday departures.”
