Seven flights cancelled because of French air controllers strike

SEVEN flights at Palma's Son Sant Joan airport were cancelled and there were delays to 85 other flights because of restrictions imposed by French air traffic controllers. The controllers, involved in a dispute over reforms to their pension system, went on strike between 6am and 10pm.
According to the Spanish Airport Authority (AENA), 115 flights were cancelled throughout Spain.
Barcelona was the worst hit, with 49 cancellations, while 18 flights were cancelled at Madrid-Barajas airport.
Eight flights were cancelled at Malaga and two in Tenerife Sur in the Canary Islands, although there were delays in nearly 30 per cent of the flights.
Although there were no cancellations in Alicante, nearly 30 per cent of the flights were hit by delays.
AENA took steps to paliate the effect of the strike over Spanish air space and traffic between Spain and the United Kingdom, Ireland and the north west of Europe was absorbed by an alternative route set up in co-ordination with the British authorities. Iberia cancelled 67 per cent of its flights scheduled between Spain and France because of the strike action.
Sources at Iberia, Air Nostrum and Air France explained that the cancelled flights had been taken from the schedules earlier this week, and most of the passengers had been notified in advance so that they could take an earlier flight or another route. Air France said it had cancelled 65 per cent of its flights to Spain, maintaining only six of the 20 scheduled flights to Madrid and six of the 20 between Barcelona and Madrid.