This is different to last years Summer of Strikes – where we had 12 French ATC strikes, but almost all were for 48 periods. This new strike is posted for a Monday-Friday, starting at 6am on Monday 6th March and running through to Friday evening, taking out the LFRR/Brest and LFBB/Bordeaux FIR’s.
Brest and Bordeaux FIR’s cover the west of France, meaning this will squeeze the offloaded traffic into Paris, Reims, and Marseilles FIR’s. As usual, our advice is to avoid overflying France if possible. We look forward to the day we can announce French Strikes are over (like the joy that Iceland brought us) but for now … no end in sight.
So, if you want some different options for getting around the Bordeaux FIR:
- For north-south flights The Tango Routes – via Shanwick
- For east-west flights try to file further north, into Belgian/Eurocontrol/German airspace, or come south into Barcelona/Marseilles
- Read the Eurocontrol NOP for any relief routes accepted by other ACC’s
- And, here’s a map :
Reroutes via Tunisia, Algeria
Tunisia and Algeria regularly open up their airspace to reroutes during French ATC action – and will likely do so again for this strike.
- Tunisia (DTTC FIR): Overflight permit is required (AFTN direct DTTVYAYX)
- Algeria (DAAA FIR): Overflight permit not required during this strike but copy FPL to DAAAZQZX and DTTCZQZX
Reroutes via Shanwick Airspace
Read our earlier post on this: https://ops.group/blog/the-three-sisters-shanwicks-tango-routes/
A teleconference will be held by DSNA (in French) on Wed 1st March at 1400 UTC.
Login details:
Call: +33 1 48 50 50 80
Pin Code: 34835821#
Keep an eye on the Eurocontrol NOP for updated info.
More on the topic:
- More: Operation Orion: French Airspace Closures
- More: France says take trains not planes
- More: Africa ATC Strike
- More: Morocco ATC Strike Cancelled!
- More: Formula 1 & Movie Stars: Special Procedures in Southern France
More reading:
- Latest: Optimise your Descent
- Latest: Not Another French ATC Strike
- Latest: OPSGROUP is coming to AIROPS23!
- Safe Airspace: Risk Database
- Weekly Ops Bulletin: Subscribe
- Membership plans: Why join OPSGROUP?
I don’t thank that Algerian permit is not required during this strike, it is always required.