An ongoing French air traffic control strike is causing headaches for tens of thousands of travelers across Europe.
According to The Independent, the strike began at 6 p.m. local time (noon ET) Monday as the country's main air traffic controllers' unions initiated their protest against President Emmanuel Macron's labor reform policies.
The strike is expected to continue through Tuesday into the early hours of Wednesday.
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So far, Irish budget carrier Ryanair has been forced to cancel more than 220 flights across Europe.
"Unfortunately, further flight delays and cancellations are likely and customers are asked to please monitor this notice which will be updated throughout the day," Ryanair said in a statement. "Ryanair sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused by these unjustified ATC disruptions which are entirely outside of our control."
The cancellations come at a terrible time for the already beleaguered airline, which has canceled thousands of flights through March because of a pilot shortage.
British Airways and easyJet have also been heavily impacted. The Independent reported the former grounded Monday night flights from London's Heathrow Airport to several French airports and anticipates more cancellations Tuesday, including flights to Spain and Italy that require flying over French airspace.
Fortunately, British Airways will allow passengers scheduled to fly to France, Madrid or Barcelona Monday or Tuesday to rebook their flight through Thursday.
According to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport reported 211 flight delays Monday. The figure represents roughly 15 percent of the airport's scheduled flights.
Nearby, Paris Orly Airport experienced 158 flight delays Monday, meaning roughly one out of every five scheduled flights was delayed.
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As of 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) Tuesday, Charles de Gaulle reported more than 170 flight delays and more than 80 cancellations while Paris Orly has topped 80 delays and 50 cancellations. Marseille Provence Airport and Toulouse-Blagnac Airport are also experiencing dozens of cancellations and delays Tuesday.
Given the widespread disruption, travelers are encouraged to check their flight status before arriving at the airport.
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