Lhe holidays got off to a bad start for many French people. Airlines are facing a firefighters’ strike at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport. Thus, one flight in five is canceled on Saturday July 2 because of the continuation of the social movement. A new notice has been filed for the weekend of July 9 and 10, according to the CGT. Cascading cancellations are therefore to be expected in the morning.
“In the absence of resolution of the conflict, airlines are asked to reduce their flight schedule” between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. “up to 20%” on departure and arrival from the first French airport (CDG) northeast of Paris, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) told Agence France-Presse.
Better wages demanded
These preventive cancellations, decided by the administration due to a strike by airport firefighters to obtain better wages, which requires the closure of part of the runways and therefore reduces capacity, reflect a deterioration compared to the two first days of the conflict, Thursday and Friday, when one in six flights had been canceled in the morning at CDG.
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“The movement continues among the firefighters”, who are “dissatisfied with the management’s proposals”, confirmed to AFP Daniel Bertone, the general secretary of the CGT of Groupe ADP, the manager of Paris airports.
According to him, the strike will last all weekend, in accordance with the current notice, while new notices have been tabled for next weekend, which will mark the start of the summer school holidays and traditionally sees a peak in attendance at airports, in addition to stations and roads.