What air traffic control strike means for European travel

It’s getting riskier to embark on a vacation in Europe this summer, with the aviation industry bracing for the possibility of widespread strikes during the peak travel season. Industrial action has already come to airports in France, the UK and Switzerland and affected the likes of Ryanair Holdings Plc, Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Now staff at Europe’s air route coordination body may walk off the job, too. Thousands of flights could be delayed or outright canceled as a result. 

1. What’s happening?

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, or Eurocontrol, said a union representing workers at its network manager operations center was threatening to hold strikes over a period of as long as six months. It didn’t say when the action might begin. Eurocontrol said it was in a dialog with Union Syndicale Bruxelles to try to reach a settlement and expects to make a statement on Monday. 

2. How important is Eurocontrol? 

The operations center manages traffic along the continent’s busy air routes. It works with airports and national air traffic control bodies to coordinate capacity and ensure a steady flow of flights even at times of peak activity. It supervises 10 million flights a year and receives 96,000 messages per day. 

3. What will happen if Eurocontrol employees strike? 

In the worst case, the entire continent could experience travel mayhem. Air traffic control strikes are especially disruptive as they don’t just affect flights to and from the country where they take place, but force airlines to divert other flights to avoid that country’s airspace, leading to lengthy delays. As airline operations rely on tight, quick-turnaround take-off and landing schedules, disruption in one region can spread rapidly, and it can take days to get timetables back on track. 

4. What does it mean for airlines?

It’s been a difficult time for air travel. While demand has rebounded after the pandemic, the industry is still gripped by a staffing crisis that was partly self-inflicted as some airlines and airport operators laid off workers during lockdowns. Eurocontrol has already warned those flying to vacation hot-spots such as Marseille or Athens to expect disruption due to the strain on airlines and ground services that are still grappling with staffing shortages. Added to that is the risk of air traffic control strikes: airlines including Ryanair have canceled thousands of flights since the start of the year due to industrial action by French air traffic control. John Strickland, aviation analyst at Jls Consulting, said possible strikes at Eurocontrol will prompt the organisation to optimise and maximise the limited capacity.