France is facing what unions and travel analysts are calling one of the biggest aviation strikes in years after the SNCTA air traffic controllers' union announced a 24‑hour walkout on Sept. 18, a move expected to disrupt large parts of the country's airspace and affect thousands of passengers.
Analysts at flight compensation firm AirAdvisor estimate that between 1,000 and 1,500 flights could be hit by the action, with almost 200 flights to and from the United Kingdom directly affected. The company said roughly 36,000 British travellers could face delays, cancellations or diversions as a result of the strike, which the union attributes to government budget cuts and stalled wage discussions.
AirAdvisor's analysis named major UK airports that routinely operate services to France as vulnerable to disruption, including all London hubs as well as Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow. Paris Charles de Gaulle typically handles about 80 to 100 daily UK flights, Nice Côte d'Azur about 30 to 40, and Marseille Provence about 20 to 30; overall, AirAdvisor estimated France receives 180 to 280 UK‑originating flights a day.
The firm warned that 200 to 400 flights could be diverted to neighbouring airports and that congestion could increase by 5 to 10 percent during the 24‑hour period. Anton Radchenko, an aviation expert and founder of AirAdvisor, said the immediate cancellations were only part of the problem. "What worries me most about this strike is not just the cancellations we'll see on the day, but the knock‑on effects that travellers rarely anticipate," he said, noting that displaced aircraft and crews can create rolling disruption for 24 to 48 hours afterwards.
Radchenko advised travellers to consider early‑morning departures, which he said are historically 20 to 25 percent less likely to be disrupted, and to hold a refundable or flexible booking through alternate hubs such as Amsterdam or Frankfurt. He also suggested short‑haul travellers consider rail options such as Eurostar and urged passengers to document delays and cancellations thoroughly, keeping boarding passes, delay notices and screenshots from airline apps.
Under EU and UK regulation 261/2004, air traffic control strikes are commonly classified as "extraordinary circumstances," a designation that can limit passengers' entitlement to compensation for delays and cancellations. Travel firms and airlines typically advise passengers to check the latest flight status with carriers and to monitor official airline communications for rebooking options and operational announcements.
The SNCTA call to strike follows wider disputes over government spending and pay in parts of the public sector. Officials and airline operators had not announced a coordinated contingency plan at the time of publication. Travellers planning to fly to, from or over France around Sept. 18 were urged to confirm schedules with airlines, consider alternate routes and prepare for potential disruptions lasting into the following two days.