Travellers yesterday faced further upheaval as flights were cancelled following continued strikes in France, with seven Manchester services grounded.
Those booked on flights urged to check with their airlines to ensure services are running
Around 60 services destined for airports in towns such as Paris, Lyon and Nice were axed, while passengers bound for other European destinations were warned to expect delays of up to four hours.
Those booked on flights were urged to check with their airlines to ensure services were running on the second day of industrial action.
The disruption comes after around 1,800 services across France were cancelled on Tuesday as demonstrators protested against a planned overhaul of aviation by the European Commission.
Airline EasyJet said 66 flights to and from the UK were cancelled – the majority of which were either French domestic services or planes travelling between France and other European countries.
A spokesman said: “We are notifying passengers by e-mail, text message and on the website. We recommend passengers visit www.easyJet.com to check the status of their flight. Passengers on cancelled flights are able to receive a refund or transfer to another flight.”
Around 25 flights at Gatwick were similarly grounded, while one Glasgow flight was also cancelled.
The British Airways website showed 16 cancellations.
A notice on the airline’s website read: “French Air Traffic Control have amended their announced industrial action dates and will now only strike on Tuesday June 11 and Wednesday June 12.
“As a result BA intends to operate a full schedule for Thursday June 13.
“Due to airspace restrictions in and around France, there may also be delays for services to and from Spain and North Africa. Please check the status of your flight before leaving for the airport.”
French airports including Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux are all said to have been affected by the strikes which were called across Europe by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) in April.
The group said action would involve protests and walkouts by union members across the European Union to “stop a never ending process of liberalisation, deregulation and cost cutting”.
Travel group Abta criticised the industrial action, saying it penalises holidaymakers and said passengers whose flights were cancelled would be entitled to a refund or a replacement flight and should contact their airline.