Summary of Flight Disruptions in Europe
- Overview of Potential Strikes Affecting Air Travel
- Impact on Major Airlines and Airports
- Regional Strikes Across Europe
On top of already a busy summer for international travel, the potential for flight disruptions may get even more complicated due to strikes planned for airports and air traffic controllers across Europe.
Impact on Major Airlines and Airports
In the United Kingdom, popular low-cost carrier EasyJet has already cut back on 2 percent of its summer schedule over fear of air traffic control issues across Europe, Reuters reported. The airline canceled 1,700 flights for July and August, most from London’s Gatwick airport.
Regional Strikes Across Europe
In Birmingham, about 100 security officers and terminal technicians plan to walk out on July 18 to protest “two years of substantial pay cuts,” according to the Unite union. However, at London’s Heathrow Airport, security staff accepted an improved pay raise and called off a planned 31-day strike last month, as per reports from Reuters.
Moreover, air traffic control strikes are also possible across Europe, according to the Eurocontrol Network Manager Operations Centre.
In a letter, one of the EUROCONTROL Trade Unions (Union Syndicale Bruxelles – USB) has announced a period of six months during which industrial action could take place in the Network Manager Operations Centre. However, no specific dates for industrial action have been announced, making it premature to speculate on any potential impact.
In France, fear of air traffic control strikes forced the French aviation regulator to ask carriers to cancel a third of their flights from the Paris-Orly airport last month. Similarly, airlines have been asked to reduce flights by 20 percent in Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Nantes.
Consequently, travel may also face disruptions in Belgium when Ryanair pilots strike on July 15 and 16. Furthermore, in Portugal, EasyJet’s cabin crew are expected to go on strike from July 21 to July 25.
In Spain, Iberia Regional Air Nostrum pilots went on a daily indefinite strike last month. Consequently, Iberia reported it has “made our fares more flexible on some routes that could be affected.”
However, in Italy, reports from Reuters indicated that air traffic controllers agreed there wouldn’t be any strikes between July 27 and September 5.
