(Reuters) -Ryanair said it was forced to cancel 170 flights affecting over 30,000 passengers due to a national strike by air traffic controllers in France, planned on Thursday and Friday. "In addition
Ryanair cancels 170 flights, disrupts over 30,000 passengers on French ATC st...
(Reuters) -Ryanair said on Thursday it was forced to cancel 170 flights, disrupting travel for more than 30,000 passengers, due to a nationwide air traffic controller strike in France planned for later in the day and Friday.
The disruption comes at the start of Europe's summer holidays, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
The French civil aviation agency DGAC on Wednesday asked multiple carriers to reduce flights at Paris airports by 40% on July 4 due to the planned strike.
"In addition to flights to/from France being cancelled, this strike will also affect all French overflights," Ryanair said in a statement on Thursday.
Passengers overflying French airspace from the United Kingdom to Greece and Spain to Ireland would also be affected, the Irish carrier said.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take urgent action to reform European Union air traffic controllers' services.
(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
