Air traffic strike over half-term

AIR traffic controllers have called a five-day strike at the end of February that could affect flights over the school half-term holidays.

Four unions representing workers at the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile are planning the walkout from February 23 to 27.

They say more staff need to be recruited to deal with an increase in air traffic, or passengers' safety will be at risk. The unions claim 190 jobs are being cut this year by not replacing departing workers.

If the strike goes ahead, it will fall in the first week of half term for schools in the Ile-de-France and the second half of the holidays for Zone A - Brittany, Basse-Normandie, the Pays de la Loire, Midi-Pyrénées, Limousin, Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes.

Meanwhile, Air France has promised that a strike by two pilots' unions from February 26 to March 1 will not have any effect on passengers.

The UNPL and R-Way unions, which between them represent about 15% of pilots, are striking in protest against Air France cargo reforms and plans to shift some of the airline's short-haul passenger flights to sister company Transavia.

Air France said the strike "will have no impact on flights" and all passengers will travel as expected.

The company last week unveiled plans to take on Easyjet and Ryanair with a new range of low-cost domestic flights from Nice.