British airlines IAG and easyJet, Irish Ryanair and Hungarian Wizz Air announced on July 24, 2018, that they filed a complaint against France to the European Union on the grounds that air traffic controllers' strikes limit the freedom of movement.
They argue that France does not respect European law by not allowing any flight to cross France during these social movements.
According to companies, air traffic controller strikes in the country are four times more common since January 2018, in comparison to 2017.
Based on statistics from Eurocontrol, the European agency responsible for air traffic, 16.000 flights were disrupted from January to June 2018, because of French ATC strikes, affecting two million passengers. Eurocontrol also cite French Senate’s report that attributes at least 33% of flight delays in Europe to strikes by French air traffic controllers.
The companies base their legal action on the precedent case of Spain which filed a complaint against France in 1997, after French farmers prevented Spanish exports of fruits and vegetables to other EU countries for several years, infringing the free movement of goods. France government was eventually condemned by the European Commission for failing to prevent the blockade.
"It's not just customers leaving or arriving in France who are affected during the strikes of the French air traffic controllers. Passengers on lines crossing France, especially the airspace above Marseille and the Mediterranean are also subject to significant delays and disruption, "says Willie Walsh, managing director of IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia.
József Váradi, Wizz Air’s chief executive, declared: “The failure of French air traffic control authorities to ensure a continued and adequate service has already caused massive disruption to the travel plans of thousands of passengers across Europe, with airlines left to pick up the pieces. Addressing this issue must be a priority for the European authorities to ensure European citizens and businesses are no longer held hostage to national industrial relations issues.”
Several airlines including IAG and EasyJet previously joined Airlines for Europe, an initiative launched in 2016 by Ryanair. The association started a petition, Keep Europe Skies Open, demanding that the European authorities take actions to prevent ATC strikes consequences for consumers and businesses.