Flights cancelled in France amid ongoing dispute over pensions

Up to a third of flights set to be axed from major airports this week

A departure board indicates cancelled flights at Nice Cote d'Azur airport amid nationwide strikes. EPA

Hundreds of flights will be cancelled in France later this week amid ongoing strikes over the government's plans to increase the pension age.

Air travel is expected continue to be disrupted on Thursday and Friday, with about 20 per cent fewer flights at Paris' main airport, Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle, and a drop of 30 per cent in Orly.

The General Directorate of Civil Aviation also asked airlines at regional hubs, including Beauvais, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice and Toulouse, to cancel as many as a third of flights.

About 30 per cent of flights have already been cancelled for Tuesday and Wednesday due to a walkout by air traffic controllers.

The DACG said that airlines will notify customers whose flights have been cancelled and urged passengers to check the status of their journeys before travelling.

“There will be a very strong impact” from the strikes, Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on regional broadcaster France-3 on Sunday. “I know that for many people, it will be a real headache.”

Railway traffic continued to be affected by the strike, though to a lesser degree than on Tuesday, with one in three high-speed trains running, on average, and one in three local trains.

In the transport sector, national railway operator SNCF said routes for more than half of high-speed trains had been cancelled, with only one train in 10 operating between provinces.

International rail travel remained slightly affected, with three out of four Eurostar trains running.