It is likely to affect at least a thousand flights, and potentially a million passengers
Howard Lloyd Regional content editor
02:21, 02 Oct 2025
People flying to destinations such as France, Spain, and Portugal are likely to be affected
Holidaymakers heading to either France or Spain for an autumnal break are being urged to check their flight details and prepare for potential travel disruption. It comes as workers for the Syndicat majoritaire des contrôleurs aériens (SNCTA) prepare to walk out over a dispute over pay.
SNCTA is the largest air traffic controllers’ (ATC) union. They are striking over pay, which they feel has not matched inflation. The strike is poised to start ‘from the morning of 7 October until the end of night duty on the morning of 10 October’ and will affect overflights 0 planes that go through French airspace on the way to their final destination.
It had been scheduled for a 24-hour strike on September 18, but it was postponed following the collapse of the French government under Prime Minister François Bayrou. A similar strike on July 3-4, triggered the cancellations of 1,500 flights, affecting more than 1 million passengers and costing airlines €120 million ($141 million).
Ryanair is one of a number of airlines warning passengers of delays. The budget airline has repeatedly called on European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to step up reform of the current system. Some countries, like Spain, Italy, and Greece, reportedly protect overflights during ATC strikes.
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Travellers are urged to check with their airlines 48 hours before departure to learn of any disruption. You are also advised to prepare for a longer-than-anticipated wait at the airport and arrive in good time for your flight.
Downloading airline apps can also help you stay in the loop, and be prepared for delays on things like trains and coaches as affected passengers seek alternative means of transport.
“This additional strike is incomprehensible to us,” Pascal de Izaguirre, head of France’s aviation lobby group, said on Tuesday (September 30), especially as a new three-year agreement with controllers was concluded less than a year ago. He added that the impact is expected to be even more significant this time round.
SNCTA has also called on members of another union, the UNSA-ICNA union, to join the strike. But UNSA-ICNA has criticised the escalation, accusing SNCTA of inconsistency.
In a statement, UNSA-ICNA said: “By constantly zigzagging between their past signature and their current reversal, the majority union is losing the only thing that matters: credibility. The ICNA doesn’t need contradictory promises, but a strong and coherent line of defence.”