The unions are once again going on strike to protest the management of the sector and the failure to implement wage adjustments. Carriers are preparing for another wave of cancellations and delays, after the Summer shutdown that affected more than 5,000 flights

French skies are preparing for a new period of turbulence: the main national air traffic controllers' union, SNCTA, has announced a new strike that will take place on 18 September. The mobilization, officially communicated on 26 August, comes after the failure of talks with the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC). The unions denounce a management of the sector they describe as "punitive" and a total absence of dialogue from the institutions, as well as requesting a salary adjustment to the inflation recorded in 2024.

The announcement has already put European carriers on alert, which fear a repeat of the disruptions experienced in July 2025, when a previous two-day action caused chaos at airports. According to Eurocontrol data, the Summer strike resulted in the cancellation of more than 1,400 flights per day and delays for about 3,700 services. The repercussions were particularly severe for carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet, but also for French carriers like Air France and Spanish ones like Volotea, which has three bases in France and saw 34% of its routes suffer delays due to the protest.

Tensions between unions and government authorities are not new. Air traffic controllers have long been calling for constructive dialogue, highlighting that current governance is characterised by mistrust and managerial methods they consider harmful. The request for an annual meeting to discuss the impact of inflation on wages reflects the general discontent of a category that feels neglected. In the face of these demands, the airlines, harshly affected by the disruptions, express growing frustration. As usual, the voice of Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary, was not missing; he has repeatedly in the past described strike actions as a "recreational" activity, underlining the seriousness of the economic and logistical impact borne by millions of passengers across Europe.

As the strike date approaches, airports and airlines are evaluating measures to minimise disruption, including rescheduling flights and timely communication with passengers. The outcome of the protest and the possibility of new negotiations that could avert another day of paralysis in air traffic remain uncertain.

If nothing changes in the meantime, the union note from three days ago will therefore remain valid, which concluded: "In the face of the lack of concrete responses and the failure of social dialogue, the national committee has instructed its national office to present a notice of national strike for all air traffic controllers (and for the air traffic control agents of the Paris 'Charles-de-Gaulle' airport), Thursday 18 September 2025, from the start of the morning service until the end of the night service of the following day".