By Editor Elizabeth Haigh
Airline Ryanair has axed 170 flights due to French air traffic control strikes in a huge blow to British holidaymakers.
More than 30,000 passengers have had their travel plans disrupted after the low-cost airline moved to scrap the flights today, affecting the journeys those travelling abroad for the summer.
The Irish carrier said the cancellations on Thursday and Friday will affect flights to and from France, and also flights over the country to destinations such as the UK, Greece, Spain and Ireland.
Thousands of British passengers are feared to be among those impacted, with 15 flights arriving at or departing from London Stansted airport cancelled alone.
Elsewhere, Ryanair flights are also cancelled at airports across the country including Manchester and Edinburgh.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary renewed calls on EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take ‘urgent action’ to reform European Union air traffic control (ATC) services in light of the disruption, which comes at the start of the European summer holidays.
Mr O’Leary said: ‘Once again, European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on 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.’
Ryanair has long-campaigned for an overhaul of ATC services across Europe.
It wants the EU to ensure ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, as well as to protect overflights during national ATC strikes.
‘These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90 percent of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike,’ Mr O’Leary added.
Ryanair also said on Wednesday it had been hit by the recent conflict in the Middle East, and it cancelled more than 800 flights last month.
It is among those to have cancelled and rerouted flights amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks in Gaza.
Last week, flights were halted at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as passengers were told to expect further delays and cancellations.
Ryanair said it still operated more than 109,000 flights in June, indicating that fewer than 1 percent of flights were affected.
The Ireland-based business carried 19.9 million passengers in June, representing a 3 percent increase on the same month last year.