Paris: Airlines were forced to cancel flights to and from Paris's main airports and several cities in southern France Tuesday as air traffic controllers kicked off a six-day strike.
The work stoppage comes at the height of the tourist season in a nation that attracts more foreign visitors than any other country in the world, and follows a rail protest that affected services abroad and domestically and is still continuing in some areas.
The country's civil aviation watchdog said around 20 percent of flights going to and from several big cities in southern France, as well as those taking off from Paris to the south, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, were cancelled.
Not all air traffic controllers are striking, but those stopping work are protesting against what they say is a lack of sufficient funding allocated for their sector, which they say is in dire need of modernisation.
They want airport fees for airlines to increase by 10 percent, companies want them to go down, and the government is caught in between.
SNCTA, the country's biggest air traffic control union, has decided not to go on strike following last-ditch negotiations with the government but has still echoed mounting concerns that French air navigation tools are becoming dangerously obsolete.
The system used in the country to enhance radar monitoring and for separation of air traffic dates back to the 1980s, and is due to be replaced by a new system.
The tools used to control air traffic are also in need of change.
According to SNCTA, for instance, all radar screens in the Aix-en-Provence control centre in southern France were recently "urgently" changed after around 20 screens suddenly went blank over the space of 18 months.
The work stoppage comes at the height of the tourist season in a nation that attracts more foreign visitors than any other country in the world, and follows a rail protest that affected services abroad and domestically and is still continuing in some areas.
The country's civil aviation watchdog said around 20 percent of flights going to and from several big cities in southern France, as well as those taking off from Paris to the south, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, were cancelled.
They want airport fees for airlines to increase by 10 percent, companies want them to go down, and the government is caught in between.
Advertisement
The system used in the country to enhance radar monitoring and for separation of air traffic dates back to the 1980s, and is due to be replaced by a new system.
Advertisement
According to SNCTA, for instance, all radar screens in the Aix-en-Provence control centre in southern France were recently "urgently" changed after around 20 screens suddenly went blank over the space of 18 months.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
'Who All Cursed Me For Lack Of ACs In Paris?' PM Narendra Modi Shares A Laugh With India's Olympics 2024 Stars PM Modi Urges Indian Olympians To Join 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' Campaign "Matter Of Great Pride": What PM Narendra Modi Said On Vinesh Phogat's Paris Olympics 2024 Feat How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan 3 Days After Big Order On Deposits With SBI And PNB, Karnataka Hits Pause "Left-BJP Nexus...": Mamata Banerjee Accuses Rivals Of Hospital Vandalism Man Scales Wall, Jumps Inside Parliament Annexe Premises, Arrested: Report "Too Many Dead": Gaza Undertakers Stacking "Graves On Top Of Graves" Musk's X Ordered To Pay Rs 5 Crore To Former Employee Over Unfair Dismissal Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.