Air France CEO vows to protect Euro flights during strike

Air France said a pilots strike starting on Saturday would force the cancellation of up to 30% of flights but the airline would strive to ensure minimal disruption to flights serving cities hosting Euro 2016 soccer matches. CEO Frederic Gagey said the four-day walkout over pay curbs would cost the airline about E5m each day. "Of course, we'll look after the Euro tournament," Gagey said. The strike was called by unions Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne (SNPL), which represents more than half of the airline's pilots, and SPAF, which represents about a quarter, after marathon negotiations this week collapsed. Air France said about 25% of its pilots would strike, while the largest union in the country said one in two pilots would not show up.<br/>