Airlines said on Tuesday that strikes could “ruin” the holidays of millions of passengers this summer in Europe, with the warning coming after a strike in France severely disrupted the sector in the first months of the year.

On the planePhoto: Shakeel Safeek / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia

European Airlines (A4E) again called on the European Commission, as it did in March, during the strike of French air traffic controllers, to mitigate the consequences of a possible social conflict.

A4E, which represents major European carriers including Ryanair, easyJet, Air France, Lufthansa and British Airways, wants “compulsory arbitration before air traffic controllers’ unions threaten to strike”.

The organization also requires 21 days’ notice of such strikes and again insists on “flight protection” of the country where the protests are taking place, as well as “rights of recourse to air navigation service providers” to be compensated for the cost of the disruption, the organization said in a statement.

In mid-April, Eurocontrol estimated that 30% of flights in Europe, i.e. “more than 10 million” passengers, had been affected since the beginning of March due to a strike by French air traffic controllers.

Some air traffic controllers have been involved in a protest against a pension reform in France that has led to the cancellation of some flights and a reduction in the number of passenger planes that can cross the country’s airspace.

On Tuesday, nearly 965,000 people signed a petition launched on March 20 by Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, calling on European authorities to protect the flights.

“We respect the right to strike, but the chain effects of the suspension of air traffic between member states are intolerable. Millions of Europeans who want to travel this summer are at risk of seeing their plans disrupted due to strikes,” warned A4E interim CEO Laurent Doncel.

The world’s main airline association Iata is predicting a “strong” peak in activity this summer in Europe, with May-September bookings up 40% compared to 2022, already a year of strong post-pandemic recovery. The organization also said in a statement on Tuesday that “social unrest, especially in France, is a source of concern.”