By Hannah Ahmed
Ryanair has cancelled 170 flights, with UK tourists warned over holiday chaos this week. The airline has made the decision to axe the journeys after a series of air traffic control (ATC) strikes were reported across France today (June 3) and tomorrow (June 4). This comes after a period of high tension for the ATC unions in France, ICNA and CGT, who were previously in talks with France鈥檚 Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) with issues such as under-staffing, a toxic atmosphere, and the failure of several projects cited by unions as reasons for the industrial action, The Connexion said. Ryanair spoke out about the decision, stating: “In addition to flights to/from France being cancelled, this strike will also affect all French overflights.” READ MORE: UK tourists issued Foreign Office warning over ‘flight disruption’ as strikes kick off in holiday hotspot The Irish carried said the cancellations over the next two days would impact not only flights to and from the country, but those which travel through France’s airspace to countries such as the UK, Greece, Spain and Ireland. Over 30,000 people are projected to be disrupted by flight cancellations today and tomorrow, as the summer holidays role in for many parts of Europe. The DGAC previously asked airlines to cut the number of flights over the next two days , due to the reduction in airport capacity in France. Airlines were asked to axe the number of journeys at Paris’ airports by 25 per cent on July 3, in addition to requesting flights from Nice, Bastia and Calvi to be reduced by 50 per cent. Flights to and from Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Ajaccio and Figari were also requested to be cut by 30 per cent, Reuters reported. France’s Civil Aviation Authority also recommended passengers change their flights if possible over the next two days. Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, called for the president of the European Commission to change the EU’s air traffic controllers’ service, issuing a statement: “Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike. READ MORE: Birmingham Airport passengers hit by Air France cancellation amid strike “It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. “It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.”