As the long-awaited summer holiday season got underway, passengers faced severe delays and disruption due to industrial action by French air traffic controllers. The impacts from the strike, which took place on 3 and 4Â July 2025, was further compounded by adverse weather across part of Central and Eastern Europe.
For ERA members the impact was extensive, with overall traffic 4 per cent down over the two days, approximately 250 flights cancelled, with ATC delays 75 per cent up compared to similar non-strike days in 2024.
While France was at the centre of the disruption with the focus of the delays for ERA airlines attributed to disruption in the Marseille Area Control Centre (ACC), the impacts were felt across many neighbouring States, in many cases due to flights that would usually overfly French airspace.
Minimum service provisions in France do not extend to overflights, unlike in other countries such as Spain and Italy, resulting in disruptions across the European air traffic network, even in areas far removed from the strike itself.
ERA airlines are committed to delivering safe, reliable and efficient services, but to do so, they require a robust and predictable network. Strikes of this scale, particularly when combined with summer weather volatility show that the current system is no longer fit for purpose.
ERA is therefore renewing its call on for Member States and policymakers to:
- Accelerate the implementation of the Single European Sky (SES2+) to modernise and harmonise airspace management.
- Provide minimum service level protections across the EU for overflights and reduce cross-border collateral disruption.
- Increase investment in ATC staffing, automation and technology, and build genuine resilience into the network.
The disruption seen earlier this month is not an isolated incident. Without action, these events will continue to negatively impact airline schedule resilience, undermine passenger confidence and with it, the credibility of the European network.
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