France's main air traffic controllers' union said on Wednesday, April 24, it had canceled a call for a one-day strike over pay after making a deal with the civil aviation authority. The planned stoppage for Thursday would have caused most flights at the two main Paris airports to be canceled, sparking chaos.
But this scenario appeared to have been averted after a last-minute agreement between the SNCTA union and the DGAC civil aviation authority about salary increases and other measures in a planned overhaul of France's air traffic control systems.
However, the DGAC did not confirm the union statement, and neither side released details of the reported agreement. It was also unclear whether the two smaller unions which had also backed strike action would follow suit and call off the stoppage.
The extent of disruption expected on Thursday remained unclear. Unions had called the strike after an initial breakdown of negotiations, raising new concerns over the risk of strikes during the Olympic Games that Paris is due to host from late July when millions of visitors are expected.
The DGAC had asked airlines to cancel most of their flights scheduled on Thursday. The main air traffic controllers' union had previously warned it could also order several days of strike action over a busy May holiday weekend if its demands were not met.