Your Flight To Europe This Summer Might Get Cancelled & Here's What You Need to Know
Thousands of European flights could be impacted by strikes.
Someone looking at an airport departures board.
If you're travelling to Europe this summer, you could be facing flight delays and cancellations as air traffic controllers across the continent are reportedly threatening to strike.
The Times has reported that walkouts could be announced as early as Monday, July 10, 2023, which could lead to thousands of European flights being cancelled.
What are air traffic controllers potentially striking about?
A union representing EU civil servants, Union Syndicale Bruxelles (USB), said in a letter that it had no choice but to go ahead with the strikes.
Workers were in talks about pay and staffing rotas which broke down.
According to the BBC, air travel is returning to pre-pandemic levels. However, there is a shortage of air traffic controllers across Europe. A separate air traffic strike is already planned in Italy on Saturday, July 15.
When is the strike taking place?
In a statement to Travel Weekly, Eurocontrol, who manages airspace in Europe, said USB had not given specific dates for strike action but that there is a six-month period where strike action could take place.
"No specific dates for industrial action have been announced; this was only a pre-warning," it said.
However, it added that it is in ongoing conversations with USB and other trade unions to discuss the current situation, adding it is "hopeful of a positive outcome."
"As no notice of specific industrial action has been received, it is premature to speculate on any potential impact," Eurocontrol said.
How could it impact travellers?
While it's unknown if the strikes will go ahead, there could potentially be major impacts for travellers heading to and from Europe if it does.
Earlier this year, industrial action in France impacted air travel and tourism in the country, affecting over 10 million travellers.
According to a Eurocontrol report, around 30% of daily European flights were potentially impacted by the strike that spanned 34 days between March and April 2023.
Compared to a normal day, there were, on average, around 485 additional cancellations on strike days in France and approximately 64,000 passengers unable to fly as planned.
So if a trip to Europe is in the cards this summer, you might want to keep up with any strike news as it could mean chaos.
Narcity has reached out to Eurocontrol for comment, but they did not respond by the time of publication.