French Air Traffic Controllers Call Off October Strike

France’s main air traffic controllers’ union, SNCTA, has called off a three-day strike planned for 7–9 October after reaching agreements in talks with the Civil Aviation Authority and management. The union said progress had been made on internal issues and cited Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s decision not to invoke Article 49.3 on the finance bill as a factor in lifting the threat of action. Authorities and airlines had warned the walkout could have affected a large share of flights to, from and across French airspace, with some estimates putting disruption at 60–70% of flights and potentially impacting up to 100,000 passengers across Europe. Past strikes in July caused almost 3,000 cancellations, substantial delays and about €120 million in industry costs, underscoring the potential impact that was avoided. SNCTA said no new strike dates have been set and specifics of the agreements on pay and conditions have not been fully disclosed.