Air France Cancels Six Key Flights, Disrupting Paris and Toulouse

(PARIS, FRANCE) Air France cancelled a wave of flights in September 2025 as nationwide strikes disrupted operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly and spread to Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Montpellier, and beyond. The most acute pressure fell around two strike dates—September 10 and September 18, 2025—linked to protests against government austerity plans and labor reforms. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) warned that up to 40% of flights could be cancelled on strike days, and Air France preemptively cut at least 25% of its schedule, triggering hundreds of cancellations and delays each day. The fallout stretched across Europe, affecting flights to Bologna and Toulouse and knocking on to foreign carriers that rely on France’s crowded airspace.

On September 10, airline and airport staff staged coordinated walkouts. Official figures showed 162 delays and 7 cancellations at Charles de Gaulle, 61 delays and 10 cancellations at Orly, and 92 delays and 12 cancellations for Air France alone early in the day, with more scrapped as the afternoon wore on. Lines grew, gates closed, and crews timed out, leaving travelers to rebook or wait for spare seats that never seemed to open. Families headed to Paris museums, students connecting in Bologna, and engineers bound for Toulouse all hit the same wall: rolling disruption with few easy alternatives.

The situation around September 18 shifted when the powerful air traffic controllers’ union, the SNCTA—commanding roughly 60% of votes in the sector—suspended its strike notice on September 13. The union cited the fall of the Bayrou government and a pause in talks until a new DGAC chief takes office on October 1. Even so, other unions, including CGT, SUD Aérien, Force Ouvrière, and CFDT, pushed on with actions, signaling that cancellations and delays would not vanish overnight. Airlines braced for another bruising week as staffing, slot availability, and crew planning remained unsettled.

Latest disruptions in September 2025

Air France’s network felt the strain across domestic and international routes. Coordination problems rippled through hubs and regional airports, while weather and crew regulations compounded the pain. European partners and competitors—British Airways, KLM, Delta, Emirates, Turkish Airlines—trimmed flights or rerouted around French airspace, raising costs and stretching schedules.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, carriers faced a tricky balance: keep enough flights to maintain customer trust while cutting in advance to avoid same‑day chaos at crowded terminals.

Union positions varied:

• SUD Aérien led September 10 actions focused on wage security and staffing.
• CGT Air France and Force Ouvrière raised concerns about job quality and conditions.
• SNPL (pilots’ union) did not join these strike days, showing tactical differences among unions.

The government described the timing as “ill‑timed,” pointing to a rough summer: in July alone, more than 1,400 flights were cancelled in a single day, costing airlines an estimated €120 million and stranding over half a million passengers. That memory made airlines and travelers quick to change plans when strike notices surfaced.

Economic and tourism impact

Tourism boards and business groups warned about lost bookings to Paris, Bologna, and Toulouse. The damage extended beyond missed vacations:

• Small hotels lost deposits when guests couldn’t rebook.
• Erasmus students missed orientation sessions.
• A supplier fair in the Toulouse area reported lighter foot traffic as attendees downgraded to video calls.

The timing stung: late‑summer demand was still healthy, and companies were ramping up autumn travel.

Why controllers and staff are striking

Air traffic controllers in France are among Europe’s best-paid—around €96,000 gross per year on average—but unions say rising prices and heavier workloads have eroded real pay. Chronic understaffing and aging systems have added to the strain.

Controllers argue that modernization should not come at the expense of safety or fair wages, and that any new technology rollout needs adequate staffing and training. Airlines counter that unplanned walkouts cripple schedules and damage customer confidence for travelers who plan months ahead.

For Air France, the operational puzzle included crew rosters, aircraft positioning, and maintenance slots. Cutting early can reduce day‑of chaos, but it also angers customers who booked long ago. Keeping too much flying risks mass delays when key roles go unfilled.

In September 2025, the airline leaned toward advance cancellations on strike days, urging customers to rebook without fees and waiving change charges where possible. Still, many travelers struggled to find new seats: European routes were already near capacity, and spare aircraft were limited.

What passengers can expect and do

On declared strike days, expect longer journeys from curb to gate. Practical steps and tips:

• Arrive early: 3 hours for long‑haul, 2 hours for domestic and short‑haul.
• Pack essentials in carry‑on: medications, chargers, documents, snacks.
• Monitor updates: watch your phone and departure boards for gate changes and rolling delays.
• Allow extra connection time when transiting Paris; consider earlier flights.

If your flight is cancelled:

• Air France will offer a refund or rebooking on a later service or partner flight, subject to availability.
• Under EU rules, when the disruption stems from an internal strike at the airline, passengers may qualify for compensation—up to €600, depending on distance and delay.
• When the cause is airport staff or air traffic control strikes, compensation generally does not apply because those are treated as “extraordinary circumstances.” However, airlines still owe care: meals, reasonable hotel stays, and assistance to reach your destination or return home.

To check rights and assistance, see the European Commission’s passenger rights page:
https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/passengers/air_en

Filing claims and practical advice:

1. Start with Air France’s customer service portal.
2. Keep all receipts for meals, hotels, and transport for reimbursement.
3. Ask for written confirmation if customer support claims the strike was outside the airline’s control—this helps if you pursue compensation.
4. Consider third‑party claim services (they take a fee), but direct claims to the airline are often faster.

Additional options to mitigate risk:

• Where possible, book trains between French cities or to hubs like Brussels and Milan to catch flights from there.
• Ask about reroutes via partner hubs outside France.
• Use Air France’s “Manage my booking” page and sign up for airline and airport alerts; self‑service tools often update before call centers can answer.

Travelers flying to time‑sensitive events should notify hosts early and request remote participation if needed. Students had success by asking schools for flexibility and providing proof of late arrival.

Political backdrop and next steps

The SNCTA’s suspension of the September 18 action removed one major shock, but it didn’t end on‑off stoppages. Unions plan further pressure tactics while the government shifts leadership at the DGAC, with Chems Chkioua expected to begin on October 1.

Airlines hope for talks that move from slogans to schedules: a clear timeline for staffing, a roadmap for system upgrades, and guardrails to prevent last‑minute notices that strand passengers.

Industry warnings and longer-term risk:

• More rolling strikes this fall could slow the recovery of the French travel market and sap corporate confidence as budgets for 2026 are finalized.
• Persistent disruptions could push planners to route through other hubs, even at higher fares, hurting hotels, restaurants, and venues in Paris, Bologna, and Toulouse.

For now, recommendations for travelers and planners:

• Check your flight repeatedly in the 72 hours before departure.
• Sign up for airline and airport alerts.
• Build slack into any non‑flexible plans.
• If booking trips touching France in late September 2025, prefer fully refundable fares or tickets with low change fees.
• On strike days, choose earlier departures, nonstop flights where possible, and seats that allow quick exits during connections.

Who bears responsibility and what’s needed

Airports and airlines are not the only parties responsible. Policymakers face pressure to design reforms that address costs while keeping the system resilient.

• Controllers want modern tools and safe staffing.
• Ground crews seek fair pay and better rosters.
• Passengers need predictability.

Without progress, each fresh walkout risks cascading cancellations, missed hospital shifts, empty hotel rooms, and stranded students.

Air France says it will continue to publish adjustments in advance and urges customers to use digital tools to change travel dates free of charge during strike windows. Operational teams will prioritize long‑haul flights first—protecting links like Paris–New York and Paris–Tokyo—which can leave thinner European routes exposed, including those to Bologna and Toulouse that saw repeated adjustments in September 2025.

Even with the SNCTA pause, the prospect of further industrial action remains. Travelers should stay flexible, keep documents and receipts handy, and allow extra time. This month showed how fast a schedule can unravel—and how small, early steps can turn a ruined trip into a late arrival that still works.