Paris (AFP)
The airline Air France announced Thursday the cancellation of 30% of its domestic flights and nearly 10% of its medium-haul flights on Friday, EasyJet, Transavia and Ryanair also removing flights, because of the strike movement against the pension reform in France.
"For the day of December 6, 2019, Air France plans to ensure all of its long-haul flights, more than 90% of its medium-haul flights" and "nearly 70% of its domestic flights," said Air France in a statement.
The British company EasyJet for its part reported 210 flights canceled Friday, in a statement that adds that "delays are also expected".
Its Irish competitor Ryanair has also announced, by press release, to be "forced to cancel a number of flights" due to "the national strike in France Friday", without specifying the number of flights removed.
Transavia France, questioned by AFP, for its part said that "20% of scheduled flights Friday" were canceled, or 10 flights, in this period of low season for her. The low-cost airline of the Air France group operates medium-haul flights departing from France.
The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) earlier asked airlines to reduce by 20% their flight program for Friday, as Thursday already, for Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Beauvais, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux, while two of its unions call for a strike against the pension reform.
The USAC-CGT, the second union among air traffic controllers and the first in the DGAC all staff, called for a strike from Thursday to Saturday, unlike SNCTA, the first union air traffic controllers, which does not call the mobilization against pension reform.
Third union all staff confused and the first union among executives at the DGAC, FO has not filed specific notice but calls for a strike within the framework of the interprofessional notice of the confederation.
"We have striker rates of air traffic controllers that are very strong, between 50% and 100% depending on airports and control centers," said AFP Norbert Bolis, Secretary General of USAC-CGT. These figures are calculated by not taking into account the controllers "compelled" by the management to ensure the minimum service in force for air traffic controllers, he said.
The management of the DGAC did not communicate on the rate of strikers.
"In addition to this social movement, the firefighters' strike at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport and fog on several airports also had an impact on air traffic in the morning," the DGAC told AFP. .
Thursday, day of massive mobilization in France against the pension reform, Air France has removed 30% of its domestic flights and 15% of its medium-haul flights to meet the request of the DGAC, preserving its long-haul flights. The low-cost Transavia France has maintained its flights program, while the British Easyjet has canceled part of its French program, 233 domestic and medium-haul flights, and that Ryanair has removed flights from its program without specifying the number.
Eleven Air France unions have urged employees to participate in protests against pension reform on Thursday, some of which also called for a strike. The management of the French company did not wish to communicate on the number of strikers.
© 2019 AFP