Ryanair officials warned on Sunday that the budget airline was canceling 220 flights over an air traffic controller’s strike in France planned for the bank holiday on Monday, May 1. In a video statement, chief executive Michael O’Leary said that up to 40,000 passengers across Europe would be impacted by the cancellations. “The French authorities have told us we must cancel another 220 flights, most of them are overflying France,” he explained, calling the situation “completely unacceptable.” Calling on the airline’s customers to sign a petition asking the European Commission to “protect overflights,” adding, “It is unfair that flights from the UK to Spain or from Italy to Portugal are being canceled simply because a bunch of French air traffic control units want to go on strike.” The French industrial action is part of the ongoing response to a controversial plan by Emmanuel Macron’s government to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
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