Not Another French ATC Strike

There’s an ATC strike planned on Feb 16. The strike actually starts at 1700z on Feb 15 until 0600z on Feb 17, and could include controllers at all French ACCs and airports.

It may also impact French overseas territories, so keen an eye on the Notams at the likes of NTAA/Tahiti, SOCA/Cayenne, TFFF/Martinique, TFFR/Pointe a Pitre, FMEE/La Réunion, and FMCZ/Mayotte airports as well as those in France.

Where’s the Notam?

Here:

F0216/23 (Issued for LFBB LFFF LFEE LFMM LFRR)
DUE TO AN INTER-PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL MOVEMENT AFFECTING ALL INDUSTRIAL SECTORS, 
THUS ALL AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES, MAJOR DISRUPTIONS ARE EXPECTED IN ALL DSNA 
ATC CENTERS (ACC, APP, TOWER) INMAINLAND FRANCE AND FRENCH OVERSEAS DEPARTMENTS. 
A MINIMUM SERVICE WILL BE ENSURED IN 5 ACC AND IN THE AIRPORTS IDENTIFIED IN 
AMENDED DECREE NR 85-1332 OF 17 DEC 1985. ACTUAL ATC CAPACITY WILL BE DETERMINED 
ACCORDING TO AVAILABLE STAFF. 
RMK 1: AIRLINE OPERATORS ARE REQUIRED TO REDUCE THEIR FLIGHT SCHEDULE FOR THE 
DAY OF 16 FEB 2023 FROM 0500 AM TO 1100 PM AT PARIS-ORLY AIRPORT (LFPO) BY 30 
PERCENT OF MOVEMENTS INITIALLY SCHEDULED, AT LYON SAINT EXUPERY (LFLL), 
MARSEILLE PROVENCE (LFML), MONTPELLIER MEDITERRANEE (LFMT), 
NANTES ATLANTIQUE (LFRS) AND TOULOUSE BLAGNAC (LFBO) BY 20 PERCENT OF MOVEMENTS 
INITIALLY SCHEDULED. PROPOSALS FOR MODIFIED FLIGHT SCHEDULES FOR THE DAY OF 
THURSDAY 16TH FEBRUARY MUST BE SENT BEFORE WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 11H00 UTC TO 
DGAC/DTA BY EMAIL TO: DTA-PROGRAMMES-CRISES-BF(AT)AVIATION-CIVILE.GOUV.FR 
RMK 2: TERRITORIAL CONTINUITY FLIGHTS ARE NOT CONCERNED BY THESE REQUESTED 
REDUCTIONS 
RMK 3: AIRCRAFT OPERATORS MUST CANCEL ALL FPL FOR NON-OPERATED FLIGHTS 
RMK 4: INFORMATION ON THE REAL-TIME SITUATION AND UNAVAILABILITY OF ATS SERVICES 
WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE FOLLOWING INTERNET WEBSITE: HTTPS://CDM.DSNA.FR 
CONSULT THE LIST OF AIRPORTS UNDER DSNA RESPONSIBILITY AND THOSE BENEFITING FROM 
THE MINIMUM SERVICE IN THE 'CRISIS MESSAGES' TAB 
RMK 5: ADDITIONAL NOTAMS WOULD BE SENT IN VIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITUATION. 
15 FEB 17:00 2023 UNTIL 17 FEB 06:00 2023. CREATED: 14 FEB 10:29 2023

What’s the impact going to be?

Like most of these French ATC strikes, the full impact is only known once the strike begins and they see how many controllers haven’t turned up for work.

But here’s the lowdown for this strike:

Airlines have been asked to cut 30% of their flights at these airports on Feb 16: LFPO/Paris Orly, LFLL/Lyon, LFML/Marseille, LFMT/Montpellier, LFRS/Nantes, and LFBO/Toulouse. Worst of the delays expected at these airports, but also at LFSB/Basel.
Minimal impact to overflights.

Routing around French airspace

The Tango Routes off the west coast of France will most likely be restricted, so expect some delays here.

During the strike period, Tunisia will allow overflights without the need for an overflight permit. Algeria will allow scheduled commercial flights to overfly its airspace without a permit, but all other flights must have one. If you’re routing through Tunisia/Algeria, just make sure to add the right AFTN codes on flight plans! That means as well as filing your FPL to the normal Eurocontrol addresses, you must also include those for Algeria (DAAAZQZX) and Tunisia (DTTCZQZX and DTTCZRZX) – and make sure these are included for any subsequent DLA messages as well.

Where’s the thing they publish telling us how bad it’s gonna be?

Ah yes, the Mitigation Plan. This is the thing that contains more info on Tunisia/Algeria routings, Canaries routings, plus a lot more info on planned restrictions for the strike. You can check it here.

2 Comments

Xavier says:

7 February, 2023 at 4:16 pm

In English its industrial action, in French its social movement.
They should call it industrial inaction or social immobility, as their aim is to make their inaction prevent us from moving .

chris says:

19 January, 2023 at 11:39 pm

Well done David from YSSY! Had not encountered the euphemistic “Inter Professional Social Movement” previously, per the Notam.

Not Another French ATC Strike