Soicialistic French air traffic controller strike

Air-traffic controllers in France are beginning a three-day strike to protest against EU plans to create a single European airspace.

Soicialistic French air traffic controller strike _68097018_68085790

Soicialistic French air traffic controller strike _68097018_68085790

The controllers say the Single European Sky (SES) project will affect public safety and their working conditions.

Strikes and walk-outs are expected to spread across Europe on Wednesday.

France's civil aviation authority has asked airlines to halve the number of flights serving major French cities to deal with the expected disruption.

The European Commission, which drafts EU laws, estimates that inefficiencies in the way Europe's air traffic is managed add 42km (26 miles) to the average flight.

It wants to centralise air-traffic controls, rather than leave each member state to monitor its own skies. The commission says this could triple the region's airspace capacity, cut costs and reduce delays.

'Violation of sovereignty'

Under the plan, the many national air traffic control systems would be merged into nine Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs), with a new European network manager being given authority for route planning.

But France's main controllers' union, the USAC-CGT, says the plans are "a direct attack on the public service nature of this sector" and a step toward privatisation.

It says the changes constitute a "violation of national sovereignty" and will have an negative impact on working conditions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22850250

Soicialistic French air traffic controller strike

Soicialistic French air traffic controller strike

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