Strike in France: Ryanair launches petition with its passengers to ‘keep EU skies open’

It counts one million travelers fined since the strike began. Ryanair launched a petition on Monday with its passengers, asking them to support its calls for European authorities to protect flights over French territory hit by air traffic controller strikes against pension reform.

The Irish company is urging its customers to “sign the petition” titled “Protect Passengers – Keep EU Skies Open”. She also calls for “joining her call to the European Commission,” according to a press release that accuses the organization, led by Ursula von der Leyen, of “inaction.”

The low-cost carrier, Europe’s largest by number of passengers carried, says a strike by French air traffic controllers has caused more than a million passengers to be delayed or canceled since the start of the year. “Most non-working passengers do not fly to/from France, but fly over French airspace on their way to their destination,” says the company, which believes French law provides more protection for flights to or from French airports.

20% of flights canceled in Orly on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Airlines have been asking carriers to reduce traffic in France on an almost daily basis for several weeks due to an air traffic controllers’ strike against a pension reform project. As such, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) ordered airlines on Monday to cut 20% of their flights on Tuesday and Wednesday to Paris-Orly and Marseille-Provence (southeast), two particularly affected airports.

Ryanair says it wants to submit its online petition to the European Commission when 1 million people sign it. Around 12:30 Monday, the number of signatories reached 1,000. The company regularly targets the French air traffic control service (ATC, according to the English acronym).

The geography means that many Ryanair routes between the British Isles and Southern Europe must pass through French airspace. In January, Ryanair had already proposed to the European Commission that they resort to minimum service, impose a pre-strike arbitration phase on unions, or even “authorize other European ATCs to operate flights over France” during social movements. .