French air traffic controller strike November 5, Digi Mart USA News: Air traffic controllers called to join the interprofessional day of action on Thursday, November 5 had until noon on Tuesday to declare themselves as strikers. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) will use these declarations to decide whether to ask airlines to reduce their flight programs.
Since a law adopted at the end of 2023 on the initiative of Senator Vincent Capo-Canellas, air navigation staff whose absence directly affects flights must individually declare their strike participation no later than noon, two days before the action. For the November 5 action, the deadline fell on Tuesday, November 3 at 12:00.
Based on these declarations, the DGAC assesses, control center by control center, the number of available air traffic controllers. If staffing is insufficient, it asks airlines to lighten their schedules at affected airports, generally specifying a percentage and time range.
Airlines then choose which flights to cancel and notify their customers. At the time this article was prepared, no reduction request had been made public, and travelers were advised to monitor DGAC announcements and messages from their airlines through Wednesday.
Beyond the interprofessional call issued by the CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU, the aviation sector is subject to specific strike orders. In a letter dated October 29, FO DGAC filed a notice covering all DGAC, ENAC and BEA personnel starting from the morning shift on November 5.
The union is demanding that an annual inflation compensation bonus, currently reserved for air traffic control staff, be extended to all agents, noting that other categories represent about 60% of staff. Management cites a “strongly constrained” budgetary context.
In airport terminals, SUD Aérien had as early as October 19 called on platform employees (ground handling, security, cleaning, maintenance) to join the movement, without targeting a specific airport. Slowdowns at check-in counters or security checkpoints therefore cannot be ruled out.
During the previous interprofessional day on September 29, the DGAC had requested targeted reductions, reaching up to 25% of flights at Marseille-Provence in the evening.
In the event of cancellation, the European regulation on air passenger rights requires the airline to offer a refund or rerouting, as well as care (meals, and possibly a hotel) if the wait requires it. Fixed compensation of 250 to 600 euros is, however, rarely due: an air traffic control or airport staff strike is generally considered an extraordinary circumstance, unlike a social conflict within the airline itself.
Travelers should also plan ahead for trips to airports: four railway unions have called for a strike, and SNCF Voyageurs traditionally publishes its traffic forecasts the evening before on its website. For professionals, caution calls for checking client files departing from or arriving in France on November 5 by Wednesday evening.
