French Airport Workers Strike, Demand Higher Pay

Flights from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and other French airports were disrupted Friday due to a strike and protests by airport workers demanding wage increases to keep up with inflation.

Photo Insert: Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France

The strike is the latest snarl to rock global airports this summer, as travel resumes following two years of virus restrictions, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The recent mayhem experienced in London, Amsterdam, and some other European and American cities has mostly avoided French airports. However, on Friday, the first significant day of the summer travel season in France, striking workers attempted to draw attention to the suffering caused by inflation by staging a walkout.

According to France's civil aviation authority, between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., 17% of scheduled flights out of Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports were canceled. Friday's are mainly scheduled for short-haul routes.

Protests were planned at both airports, and the Paris airport administration warned of potential delays at check-in, passport control, and security stations. According to unions, the strike could last until Sunday.

According to French media sources, Paris airport workers are seeking a 6% raise retroactive to January 1, while management is proposing a 3% increase. Airport firefighters at Charles de Gaulle are also on strike, with particular wage demands that have forced the airport to close some runways.

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