Scots facing travel chaos as French strike forces Ryanair and EasyJet to cancel flights

Hundreds of Scots have had their travel plans disrupted after Ryanair and EasyJet were forced to cancel flights because of French air traffic control strikes.

Passengers flying with both airlines on Thursday and Friday may be affected, after flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Beauvais and Toulouse from Edinburgh and Glasgow Airport were cancelled on Thursday.

The major industrial action in France is expected to last two days.

Ryanair said it has been forced to cancel more than 170 flights because of French air traffic control strikes.

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The airline operator said the cancellations on Thursday and Friday would affect flights to and from France, and also flights over the country to destinations including Greece, Spain and Ireland.

EasyJet said it was cancelling 274 flights during the planned action.

Company chief executive Kenton Jarvis said: “As tens of thousands of passengers face disruption due to the strike action by air traffic controllers in France today and tomorrow, I am urging the French Government to find long-term solutions to prevent the disruption our customers experience and crucially protect overflying when strike action does occur.

“We will, of course, do all we can to minimise the impact of the strike action on our customers, but more needs to be done to limit and prevent disruption and protect flights in the future.”

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary renewed calls on EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to take “urgent action” to reform European Union air traffic control (ATC) services in light of the disruption, which comes at the start of the summer holidays.

He said: “Once again European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike.

EasyJet is cancelling 274 flights during the action. | AFP via Getty Images

“It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en-route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike.

“It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.”

Edinburgh Airport is advising passengers to check their flight information regularly for updates.

Ryanair also said on Wednesday it had been hit by the recent conflict in the Middle East, and was forced to cancel more than 800 flights last month.

It is among those to have cancelled and rerouted flights amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks in Gaza.

Last week, flights were halted at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as passengers were told to expect further delays and cancellations.

The budget airline has long-campaigned for an overhaul of ATC services across Europe.

It wants the EU to ensure ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, as well as to protect overflights during national ATC strikes.

Mr O’Leary said: “These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90 per cent of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike.”

Ryanair said it still operated more than 109,000 flights in June, indicating that fewer than 1 per cent of flights were affected.

The Ireland-based business carried 19.9 million passengers in June, representing a 3 per cent increase on the same month last year.