RYANAIR has been forced to cancel nearly 100 flights at short notice due to ongoing strike action.
The budget airline confirmed that the cancellations would affect thousands of Brits set to travel this week.
Air traffic controllers across France are gong on strike tomorrow – the 84th day of strikes since 2023.
The cancellations will affect passengers travelling to and from Paris Beauvais Airport.
Ryanair has been campaigning for the EU to protect overflights by law during strikes.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “It is inexplicable that Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission have failed to take action to protect EU passengers’ Freedom of Movement during these repeated French ATC strikes.
“As a result, we have been forced to cancel almost 100 flight to/from Paris Beauvais Airport tomorrow, Thurs 6th June, unfairly disrupting thousands of EU passengers’ travel plans at short notice.”
They added: “EU passengers are sick and tired of suffering unnecessary cancellations during ATC strikes.
“The EU Commission must now act upon Ryanair’s Protect Passengers – Keep EU Skies Open petition of more than 2.1m EU passengers’ signatures which Ryanair delivered directly to the EU Commission offices in May, Sept and Jan last.
“There is no excuse for EU passengers to bear the burden of national ATC strikes that are completely unrelated to them and its time that Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission do something about it.”
Ryanair passengers affected by the strike will be contacted.
Passengers can request a new flight or a full refund.
While the full list of cancelled flights to and from the UK have not been revealed, current flights cancelled include:
- FR3579 from Leeds to Beauvais at 11:35am
- FR718 from Birmingham to Beauvais at 12:45pm
- FR5591 from Edinburgh to Beauvais at 2:05pm
- FR3580 from Beauvais to Leeds at 2:45pm
Ryanair currently operates to Paris Beauvais Airport from Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and Belfast.
Other flights across France may be affected as well.
Paris Beauvais Airport has also issued a travel warning to passengers, saying: “Major disruptions are expected in the flight schedule.
“Please contact your airline for any information on the status of your flight.”
The last strike action in April resulted in the airline being forced to cancel more than 3,000 flights impacting 50,000 travellers.
They included flights from the UK to France as well as to Spain and Italy.
And more strike action is set to cause chaos this month.
French air traffic controllers from the Unsa-Inca are threatening to walk out from June 11-13.
This comes less than a month after their previous strike action, which saw up to 70 per cent of flights cancelled.
There are fears that, if the strike goes ahead, similar cancellations could hit passengers – just before the summer holidays.
Flight compensation rules
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.
If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.
You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.
So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.
But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.
When am I not entitled to compensation?
The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.
Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
Some airlines may stretch the definition of the “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?
If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.
Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.
Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.
If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
Paris Orly will be affected the worst, although Charles de Gaulle as well as Marseille were previously affected.
And a similar strike back in April was called off at the last minute, but around 70 per cent of flights were still cancelled.