France is cancelling more than 16,000 flights in 2024 due to air traffic control upgrades

French air traffic control currently works on a system developed in the 1970s - sometimes still using paper strips to represent incoming planes. Though it has been regularly upgraded over the years, it is scheduled for a major overhaul in early 2024 due to rapid growth in air traffic. As the system is updated, the first two months of the year could be complicated for passengers. More than 2.5m flights pass through French airspace each year and any disruption can affect journeys across Europe. While the work is taking place, it is estimated that around 16,500 flights will be cancelled, according to business news channel BFM. Between 9 January and 14 February, airlines have been advised to cut the number of flights taking off and landing at Paris' Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Le Bourget and Beauvais airports by 20%. During this period, the new system will be tested at the air traffic control centre in Athis-Mons, the largest in France which manages all of the airports in Paris and Beauvais. Which flights are cancelled will be left up to airlines but they are likely to prioritise long-distance routes. Air France told French media that it has been “forced to cancel certain short and medium-haul flights during this period” - more than 4,200 in total by the Air France-KLM group. In an attempt to minimise the impact on passengers, the airline group has already cancelled these flights, informed passengers and offered them transfers to different flights on the same day.<br/>