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French pilots strike

February 8, 2012

Airline pilots in France are striking to protest a bill that would require them to give 48 hours notice before any walkout. The third day of the strike has forced Air France to ground 40 percent of long-haul flights.

https://p.dw.com/p/13z6H
A passenger walks past at a flight departure information board
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Air France on Wednesday said it was expecting to cancel up to 40 percent of its long-distance flights and up to 30 percent of shorter flights, as a pilot strike entered its third day.

The airline ran about half of its long- and medium-range flights on Tuesday, but said it managed to re-route many passengers on alternative flights.

Most passengers were notified of Wednesday's cancellations on Tuesday, although there were some last-minute cancellations as well, the Paris airport authority ADP said.

The strike action, which is to continue through Thursday night, is in protest to a bill in the French parliament that would require 48 hours advance notice on any walkout in the airline industry. The SNPL pilots union says the law would infringe on labor rights.

The bill was approved in the lower house of parliament last month and is scheduled for debate in the Senate later this month.

Transport Minister Thierry Mariani said at the start of the strike on Monday that the government would not back down on the bill, which he said protects the rights of passengers. The bill is meant to give airlines the chance to plan scaled-back services during a strike rather than find out last-minute that its staff have not shown up for work.

acb/cmk (AP, Reuters)