Cancellation of flights due to strike of air traffic controllers

As previously announced, air traffic is disrupted in France on 21 July 2010 due to a strike by air traffic controllers that began at 1900 local time (1700 UTC) on 20 July. According to the French civil aviation authority, 30 percent of air traffic controllers are observing the strike. As anticipated, the strike has caused the cancellation of approximately 50 percent of flights at Paris' Orly Airport (LFPO/ORY); approximately 10 percent of flights from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG/CDG) have been canceled. The strike has also affected airports outside of Paris as follows: 9 percent of flights have been canceled at Nice's Cote d'Azur Airport (LFMN/NCE), 22 percent at Marseille's Provence Airport (LFML/MRS), 20 percent at Bordeaux's Merignac Airport (LFBD/BOD), 16 percent at Nantes' Atlantique Airport (LFRS/NTE) and 11 percent at Lyon's Saint-Exupery Airport (LFLL/LYS). Airports at Metz-Nancy, Dinard, Pau, La Rochelle and Biarritz were scheduled to remain closed at least for the morning of 21 July. The strike is scheduled to end at 0700 local time (0500 UTC) on 22 July, but it will probably take until the afternoon of the same day for flight schedules to return to normal.