French Airport Workers: Strikes And Travel Chaos

French airport workers have gone on strike multiple times in the past few years, with the most recent strike occurring in December 2024. The strikes have been called by various unions, including the CGT, CFDT, FO, and UNSA, and have affected different airports in France, including Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, as well as the Brest and Marseille airports. The strikes have been called for a variety of reasons, including demands for higher pay, improved working conditions, and bonuses for staff. The strikes have resulted in flight disruptions, cancellations, and delays for passengers.

French airport workers strike for higher pay amid inflation

French airport workers walked off the job on Friday, July 1, 2022, demanding salary hikes to keep up with inflation and an urgent hiring push to deal with resurgent travel demand. The strike caused disruptions at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and other French airports, affecting thousands of passengers.

Unionist strikers demonstrated outside a terminal at Roissy airport, north of Paris, with travellers arriving at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport on foot as they protested. The strike is the latest in a series of troubles to hit global airports during the summer of 2022, as travel resurged following two years of virus restrictions.

France's civil aviation authority reported that 17% of scheduled flights out of Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris were cancelled between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, primarily affecting short-haul routes. A few hundred workers wearing union vests blocked a key road approaching Charles de Gaulle, causing passengers to drag their luggage by foot to reach their terminals. A similar protest was also held at Orly airport.

In addition to demanding higher wages, union activists called for an emergency recruitment plan to restore airport staffing to pre-pandemic levels. This strike reflects the challenges faced by airlines and airports that reduced their workforce during the COVID-19 crisis and are now struggling to manage soaring travel demand.

Paris airport workers are seeking a 6% raise retroactive to January 1, 2022, while management has offered a 3% increase, according to French media. Airport firefighters at Charles de Gaulle have also joined the strike with specific salary demands, resulting in the closure of some runways. The unions warned that the strike could extend through Sunday.

Strike action before the 2024 Paris Olympics

Strike action has been a prominent feature of the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics. In July 2024, four major air staff unions (CGT, CFDT, FO, and UNSA) announced strike action just under two weeks before the Olympics opening ceremony. The strike was called for Wednesday, July 17, across Paris' two major airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly.

The strike was called to demand Olympic bonuses, which were only being paid to certain personnel, be applied across the board, and for improvements in working conditions. The unions stated they had 'suspended their participation in all forms of meetings with management' after a 'unilateral decision' to only offer bonuses to some staff.

The strike was expected to cause delays in handling baggage and check-in at both airports. The number of flights affected or cancelled was unknown, and it was also unclear if another strike would be called later in July.

The strike was called off after three unions agreed to a deal for bonuses before the strike date. However, the threat of strike action loomed over the Olympics, with thousands of trade unionists in France saying they would disrupt the games, and the General Confederation of Labour filing a strike notice covering the entire period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Air France employees strike against ending operations at Orly airport

Air France employees have staged a strike against the airline's decision to end operations at Orly Airport in Paris. The industrial action, launched on 14 December 2023, saw around one in three flights at Orly affected on 18 December, as well as flights in Brest. The strike was called by an inter-union group, bringing together all the airline's organisations except the two main pilots' unions.

The unions are opposed to Air France's decision, announced in mid-October, to leave Orly airport and consolidate all its activities at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. The group will only be represented at Orly by its low-cost subsidiary, Transavia, in two years at the latest. The unions would like to see staff kept at Orly to look after Transavia's aircraft and operations, and they fear a drop in activity and job cuts at Orly and other provincial airports.

The strike caused disruptions to check-in, baggage processing, and other ground-based services. Local transport disruptions and heightened security were also likely near the planned protest outside Orly's Terminal 3. Although Air France anticipated no changes to its flight schedule, some disruptions did occur on the day of the strike.

This strike is one of several that have affected French airports in recent years. In July 2022, French airport workers held a strike to demand salary hikes to keep up with inflation and an urgent hiring push to deal with resurgent travel demand. In July 2024, unions representing workers at Paris' airports called for a strike the week before the Paris Summer Olympics to demand bonuses for all staff.

Air traffic controllers call off strike, but passengers still face cancellations

French air traffic controllers have called off a planned strike, but passengers still face cancellations and disruptions. The SNCTA union, which represents over 60% of France's air traffic controllers, had initially announced a 24-hour strike for Thursday, April 25th, 2024, over a dispute regarding changes to working patterns and pay.

The planned strike was expected to cause significant disruption, with the French civil aviation authority requesting airlines to significantly cut their flights: by 75% at Paris-Orly, 55% at Charles-de-Gaulle, and 65% at Marseille-Provence, with similar reductions across other French airports. In anticipation of the strike, Ryanair also cancelled over 300 flights that were set to fly over French airspace.

However, last-minute negotiations between the union and management proved successful, and an agreement was reached, leading the SNCTA to call off the strike. Despite this, many flights remain cancelled, and passengers continue to face travel difficulties due to the late nature of the cancellation. The civil aviation authority's requested reductions, which were made in anticipation of the strike, resulted in a substantial decrease in flight operations.

This issue comes amid broader concerns of strikes and disruptions during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Unions representing various sectors, including airport workers, police, air traffic controllers, and firefighters, have demanded extra pay or bonuses for working during the Games. While the SNCTA strike was averted, it remains to be seen whether other planned strikes will go ahead, potentially causing further travel disruptions.

French airport workers demand Olympic bonuses

French airport workers have called for a strike, demanding Olympic bonuses just before the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The CGT, CFDT, FO and UNSA unions have called for a strike on July 17, nine days before the opening ceremony of the Paris Games, to demand that all staff receive an Olympics bonus. The unions have criticized the selective distribution of bonuses to a few individuals. They demand that all staff at Aéroports de Paris (ADP), the state-owned company managing both Charles De Gaulle (CDG) and Paris-Orly Airport (ORY), receive an Olympics bonus.

Unions representing workers across the public sector in France have demanded extra pay or support for having to work during the Paris Games, which fall during the traditional summer holiday in France. Police, air traffic controllers, rubbish collectors, central government employees, metro and train drivers, as well as firefighters, have all made similar demands, with their employers under pressure to yield to avoid disruption.

In late May, unionized airport staff in Paris went on strike over Olympics-related pay disputes, but disruptions were minimal. However, operations could be significantly affected this time, with an estimated 350,000 people expected to travel through Charles De Gaulle and Orly international airports daily during the Olympics. Additionally, thousands of athletes from around the world will arrive in the city starting July 18, the scheduled opening date of the athletes' village.

The demand for increased pay extends beyond the aviation sector. Air France-KLM has warned of poor financial results due to decreased recreational visitors to Paris during the games. Last week, the French flag carrier announced an anticipated loss of €180 million ($193 million US) for Q3. With increased crowds, inflated prices, and the general chaos of the Olympics, tourists appear to be avoiding the City of Lights.

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