Airlines urge measures to curb French air traffic disruptions

European airline leaders called on Wednesday for measures to prevent chronic French air traffic control strikes penalising thousands of passengers using the country’s airspace for transit, as Paris warned of new protests on Thursday. Ryanair CE Michael O’Leary said it was a “scandal” that French strikes had blocked many flights over France’s airspace, disrupting services between different countries including the busy tourist market between Britain and Spain. Airlines have to compensate passengers for long delays or cancellations under European passenger laws but are unable to recover penalties from air traffic authorities when airspace is blocked, he told the A4E Aviation Summit in Brussels. Tension between airlines and French controllers has been a recurring issue but escalated this year as the controllers joined strikes over planned changes to the retirement age. France’s DGAC aviation authority said it was applying minimum service rules for some flights but the airline industry wants this to apply to overflights, as well as domestic trips. O’Leary said airports were better prepared for delays this summer after widespread chaos last year but that he expected further air traffic control problems in coming months.<br/>