The SNCTA union, which gathered 60% of the votes of air traffic controllers in the last professional elections, announced that it was lifting its strike notice on Wednesday morning. Despite this agreement reached with the DGAC, air traffic will remain very disrupted.
(AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)
After the warnings issued by those responsible for the air sector regarding the “record mobilization” expected for Thursday April 25, the majority union among French air traffic controllers announced Wednesday, mid-morning, the lifting of its strike notice.
Despite this last minute clearing, the disruptions promise to be massive, with 75% of flights canceled at Orly on Thursday and 55% at Roissy, according to a notification sent to the companies at midday.
24 hours before the mobilization day,
“an agreement has been reached”, explained the SNCTA in a short message on its website, specifying that it “lifts its notice” of strike, following a “last minute” conciliation
during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC).
“Extremely short” deadline to correct the situation
The SNCTA, which gathered 60% of the votes of air traffic controllers in the last professional elections, has not communicated details on the crisis exit protocol. He was protesting against the accompanying measures, particularly salary, for an overhaul of French air traffic control. To match available staff and traffic,
the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) had asked airlines to cancel a majority of their flights on Thursday.
This proportion of canceled flights was estimated at 65% in Marseille, 60% in Toulouse and Nice, and 50% for other airports. The SNCTA explained to its members on Wednesday that “given the extremely short deadline linked to this last minute conciliation, each controller can cancel their prior declaration, despite the deadline of ‘6:00 p.m. the day before’ having passed”. If the DGAC’s initial scenario for Thursday had materialized, tens or even hundreds of thousands of travelers would have risked having their flights canceled.
According to the manager of Paris airports, Groupe ADP, Roissy welcomed 203,000 passengers on Monday and Orly 111,000. These two airports account for around half of the total use of French airports.