AIR TRAFFIC around Europe should return to normal tomorrow after two days of chaos following a strike by French air traffic controllers.
The strike – which has grounded thousands of flights across the continent – was due to last for three days, but tomorrow’s final day has been postponed.
Euronews said France’s transport minister Frederic Cuvillier had announced the premature end of the strike, after confirming that his government and its German counterparts had asked the European Commission to delay plans for a single European airspace.
The air traffic controllers had gone on strike over fears that the ‘Single European Sky’ proposals, to deregulate air traffic services within the 27 member states, would lead to less favourable working conditions.
While the strike had obviously affected all flights to and from France, many flights across western Europe and beyond were also affected – because they would need air traffic controllers to ensure it was safe to fly through French airspace.
The problems had been exacerbated today when workers from ten other countries staged solidarity protests, many of them working to rule and refusing to accommodate any unscheduled traffic or work extra hours.
Ryanair said it had cancelled 400 flights today, in addition to over 200 flights which had been cancelled yesterday.
The blog of France’s aviation authority said most airports would continue to run with a limited capacity until late this evening or the early hours of tomorrow morning.
As ever, passengers are advised to check the website of their airline for the latest information on any disruptions before setting out on their travels.
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