French travel chaos continues

Industrial action leads to trouble with flights, ferries, trains and roads

Striking French transport workers are continuing to cause travel chaos across much of the continent.

Industrial action by railway, ferry and air traffic control staff continues to cause problems, and union leaders are warning that the action could continue for several more days. Airlines flying in and out of France were forced to cancel an average 80 per cent of flights yesterday, and while most long-haul routes were unaffected, services to Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK were seriously disrupted.

There were also strikes in Italy, Germany and Austria, but France has seen the worst disruption. According to the BBC News website, there are 200 miles of traffic congestion around the country, including 150km around Paris, and two thirds of trains are not running. Half of Paris’ bus services are out of action, while the capital’s Metro service is running below half its normal capacity.