STRIKES at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, with more to come, have thrown flight schedules into chaos, with a national rail walkout expected later this week, reports Bloomberg.
France's civil aviation authority ordered the scrapping of 17 per cent of flights through the hub between 7am and 2pm. Friday after talks between unions and management at airport operator Aeroports de Paris failed to reach a wage deal.
As a result, Air France-KLM, the international hub's biggest carrier, canceled 64 flights at its French arm, while planning to keep all long-haul and nearly 90 per cent of short and medium-haul service.
The intensification of travel turmoil in France follows upheaval at other major European cities over the past weeks including in London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt due to staffing shortages and strikes. The US has also been plagued by disruptions, with Delta Air Lines CEO apologising to customers for an "unacceptable" level of canceled and delayed flights.
As demand surges, airports and carriers in Europe have been forced to reduce flight schedules due to staffing shortfalls.