Next week, air travel across Europe is set to face major turbulence as French air traffic controllers prepare for a strike that could upend the plans of more than 100,000 Ryanair passengers. The walkout, organized by the Syndicat National des Contrôleurs du Trafic Aérien (SNCTA)—France’s largest air traffic controllers’ union—will run from October 7 until the morning of October 10, 2025, and is expected to send ripples far beyond French borders, disrupting flights across the continent.
According to reports from Daily Mail and The Sun, the strike is rooted in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The SNCTA has voiced grievances over what it describes as “mistrust, punitive practices, and brutal managerial methods” in the governance of French air traffic control. The union’s decision to strike follows a previously planned walkout last month, which was postponed after the government collapsed. This time, the industrial action is set to last for three days, and the fallout will be felt by travelers all over Europe.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget airline, is bracing for the worst. Michael O’Leary, the company’s outspoken chief executive, has warned that as many as 600 Ryanair flights could be cancelled on each of the first two days of the strike—most of them so-called “overflights” that merely pass through French airspace en route to other destinations. “That’s about 100,000 passengers who will have their flights cancelled needlessly next Wednesday and Thursday,” O’Leary told Sky News.
The financial hit is steep. O’Leary estimates that the strike will cost Ryanair around £20 million in lost revenue, a burden he suggests could ultimately fall on passengers through higher fares. “On any given day at the moment, we operate about 3,500 flights and about 900 of those flights cross over French airspace and about two thirds of those, around 600 flights, are cancelled every day there’s an air traffic control strike,” he explained to The Sun. The UK, due to its proximity to France, is particularly hard-hit, with British travelers facing a disproportionate share of the cancellations.
But Ryanair’s troubles are just the tip of the iceberg. Other major airlines—including easyJet, British Airways, Vueling, and Lufthansa—are also bracing for disruptions. Travelers heading to Spain, Italy, Greece, and other destinations that require flights to cross French airspace are being told to expect delays or outright cancellations. The full extent of the chaos, however, may not be clear until the strike actually begins, as airlines often wait until the last minute to announce cancellations.
O’Leary has been vociferous in his criticism of the way overflights are handled during French strikes. While he acknowledges the right of French workers to strike, he argues that “they should be cancelling local French flights, not flights from the UK to Spain or from Italy to Ireland. This is a fundamental breach of the single market.” He has called on the UK government to put pressure on the European Commission and French authorities to ensure that overflights are protected during industrial action. “We b** well demand that our overflights are protected. If British citizens today going to Italy, or we have Spanish visitors wanting to come to London, they should not have their flights disrupted or cancelled,” O’Leary asserted. He didn’t hold back, claiming, “They, the government, don’t care about the travelling public and they won’t get off their a* and demand that their overflights be protected.”
For now, the UK Department for Transport has responded by emphasizing the sovereignty of national airspace. A spokesperson told Daily Mail, “Airspace is sovereign, and it is for each state to decide how best to manage their own. We know strikes can cause disruption for passengers and airlines and airports have robust resilience plans in place to minimise their impact.”
Ryanair, meanwhile, is urging affected passengers to make their voices heard by complaining to transport ministers and the European Commission through a dedicated website, ATCruinedourholiday.com. The airline hopes that a groundswell of public frustration will prompt authorities to take action and protect overflights from future industrial disputes.
Travelers are being advised to keep a close eye on the status of their flights via airline websites or mobile apps, as the situation may change rapidly once the strike begins. EasyJet has stated it is "monitoring the situation" but has not yet confirmed specific cancellations. The unpredictability has left many would-be holidaymakers in limbo, unsure whether to rebook, seek refunds, or simply wait and hope for the best.
For those whose flights are cancelled or delayed, the issue of compensation looms large. Under UK law, airlines are required to provide compensation if a flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late—unless the disruption is caused by extraordinary circumstances such as strikes. In such cases, passengers are entitled to a refund for the unused portion of their ticket, or an alternative flight, which could even be with another airline. However, the law does not require compensation if the cancellation is due to reasons outside the airline’s control, such as air traffic control strikes.
Travel insurance may offer some recourse for those affected by delays, but coverage varies widely. Typically, a delay of eight to twelve hours is required before insurance will pay out, and even then, full reimbursement is not guaranteed. If a flight is cancelled outright due to a strike, most policies will not cover the loss. Passengers are advised to obtain written confirmation of any delay or cancellation from the airport, as insurers will require proof to process any claims.
The looming French air traffic control strike is not an isolated incident. Just this week, a 24-hour walkout across Greece brought all public transport—including buses, taxis, and flights—to a standstill, highlighting the vulnerability of Europe’s interconnected travel network to labor disputes. As the continent’s skies prepare for another wave of disruption, travelers are left to navigate a maze of uncertainty, compensation rules, and shifting schedules.
As the clock ticks down to October 7, the only certainty is that thousands of journeys will be interrupted, and the debate over how to balance workers’ rights with the needs of travelers will continue to rage. For now, vigilance and flexibility are the best tools for those hoping to reach their destinations in the coming days.
