Dozens of flights cancelled at French airport as aircrew strike

Another strike is set to cause chaos at a French airport this weekend… but it is not linked to the ongoing pension reform protests.
Instead, industrial action over pay and working conditions by staff of low-cost Spanish airline Vueling will see 66 flights cancelled at Paris-Orly.

Thirty-four flights have been cancelled on Friday (April 21) and a further 32 on Saturday (April 22).

Additional strike action is planned for the next two weekends.

“This situation is beyond our control and in order to try to minimise the inconvenience to our customers, we have been forced not to operate some of our planned flights,” said Vueling in a statement.

Popular holiday destinations affected

Paris-Orly is one of Vueling’s three principal hubs, meaning dozens of flights to various European destinations have been axed.

Key destinations include Barcelona, Dublin, Porto, Lisbon, Rome, Hamburg, Malaga, Stockholm and Milan, affecting more than 10,000 passengers.

Strikes are currently set to impact every weekend up until May 8 and could continue after this date, according to the SNPNC-FO union for airline workers.

Strikes will impact the final weekend of the Easter holidays for all three school zones in France, leaving families scrambling for alternative travel or cancelling plans altogether.

Read more: Updated: Dates and sectors of upcoming pension strikes in France

‘We are ready to negotiate’

Striking workers are standing firm against pressure to back down, citing a number of reasons leading to the action.

The main issues are “lack of recognition in the remuneration (of) flight attendants, significant change in schedules, rest days not respected,” and “numerous errors in payment,” according to the union.

“We are ready to negotiate, but the management does nothing,” they added.

For its part, the management is urging strike action to be cancelled before further chaos ensues.

“A strike, in this context, will affect the company's current situation, reduce the resources it can invest in its staff and jeopardise the investments the airline needs to ensure its future,” they said.

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