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Updated 6.06pm
RYANAIR HAS ANNOUNCED service cancellations in anticipation of air travel disruption tomorrow due to a French air traffic controllers’ strike.
The Irish airline has released this list of cancelled flights involving flights to or from French airports. It says that customers affected by the cancellations will be contacted by phone or email and asks those customers to monitor this notice providing updates on the situation.
Customers can transfer free of charge to new flights, but are advised to avoid rebooking flights travelling between 24 and 25 June inclusive as “there is a high possibility of further disruption/cancellations within that timeline.”
In a statement this evening, the airline called on the French government and the European Commission to prevent the strike, saying it has been forced to cancel 26 flights. Ryanair accused air traffic controllers (ATCs) of “attempting to blackmail ordinary consumers with strikes” and pointed out that ATC strikes are illegal in the Unites States.
It said the EU should open up the skies over Europe and allow neighbouring providers to keep the skies over France open while air traffic controllers in the country are striking.
“Ordinary people who work hard all year to take a well-earned holiday have had their travel plans disrupted through no fault of theirs, or of Ryanair’s, because of the selfish actions of so few,” Ryanair’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kenny Jacobs said.
Meanwhile, Aer Lingus says that it plans to operate all scheduled services, though there may be some delays.
Anyone due to travel by air tomorrow or on Wednesday is advised to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
The strike over planned cuts between 2015 and 2019 under the European Commission plan, Single Sky Europe. The plan aims to reduce air navigation costs by organising airspace into functional blocks, according to traffic flows rather than national borders.
The industrial action involves workers with one of the biggest air controllers’ unions, Unsa-ICNA, which has called for six days of strikes. The controllers’ strike follows a rail protest that affected services internally as well as in and out of France and comes ahead of a 30 June deadline for France to present its budget plans for the sector to Brussels.
- Additional reporting by AFP and Michelle Hennessy.
First published 5.30pm.
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Go noonan, there is only one way you can satisfy electorate, burn senior bondholders or else loose all respect from us, If you back out.
He looks like a bull dog chewing a wasp, but I think hes the only one with any guts and backbone in the Government and that he has found his place in Finance. Burn ‘em Michael, look after Ireland before the EU currency! The EU will do everything it can to keep the Euro so tell ‘em we will burn them all, close the banks and open our own new bank not linked to EU based on Irish deposits and then see what they have to say about interet rates and corporation tax – tell ‘em will cut that too if they mention it again !
Could Ireland being getting a pair of liathroidi. About time.
Merkle and sarkozi (which my iPhone autocorrects to ‘warlock’ ha!) are so reluctant to burn the bondholders because most of them are French and German. It has everything to do with protecting their own patch and trying to get re-elected, and nothing to do with the good of Europe as a whole. We need to be part of Europe, but the cowtowing and grovelling needs to be over. The bondholders should have to carry their own pain, it was a failed investment. If they could reap the benefits, which they did, they should have to take the burden as well.
It’s like a poker game out there , and Noonan has the face and the balls to get us a better deal .who else would you send ,(he’s from Limerick )
Anyone explain how a Greek default would have consequences for Ireland?
Just wondering.
Putting more debt on top of more debt in Greece is solving nothing………and very bad financial advice…………I hope the people on the streets of Greece win….
The euro is a cobbled together currency and is doomed to failure,its only function is to keep Merkin and Kermit important in their own minds.
Several of the newspaper pundits forecast [ some six months ago ?] that the real crunch would come here in June/July when the fight to pay bills got too much and when the money borrowed from family and friends to avoid the shame of not paying the mortgage dried up.I think one writer gave advice on how to stuff the building society and keep the roof over ones head by using the courts ? Will we see this happen in the next few weeks?
have your say