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Flights inbound and outbound to France have been cancelled today as part of a two-day strike by French Air Traffic Control. The strike began on July 3 and continues on July 4, and it has cancelled flights to and from Stansted and Southend airports.

Ryanair has cancelled four outbound flights from Stansted Airport today and an additional inbound flight. Easyjet has cancelled two arrival flights that were expected to land at Southend Airport.

A spokesperson for Stansted Airport said: “There has been industrial action impacting ATC services in France since yesterday. Ryanair cancelled four departures today, and advised affected passengers directly in advance.”

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Meanwhile, a spokesman for easyjet said:“The national strike action by French air traffic controllers today continues to impact all airlines operating to and from French airports and using French airspace. As required by the French authorities (DGAC) easyJet proactively cancelled some flights in advance and customers have been contacted directly with options to transfer to another flight for free or a refund.

“As this action could result in further disruption to airline flying programmes, we advise all customers travelling on flights today to check the status of their flights on our Flight Tracker online for the most up-to-date information. While this is outside of our control, we will do all we can to minimise the impact of the strike action.

“On behalf of our passengers we are extremely unhappy with the strike action, particularly given the current performance of French ATC which has been the leading cause of airspace delays in Europe this summer. Long-term solutions must be found for our customers and crew who suffer repeated disruption.”

A spokesman for A4E, Airlines 4 Europe said: Airlines for Europe (A4E) strongly condemns the French air traffic control (ATC) strike taking place today and tomorrow. Tens of thousands of travellers in France and across Europe have seen their summer getaway grounded as French air-traffic controllers walk out during the Grand Départ; one of the busiest periods for summer travel.

Over 1500 flights have been cancelled on July 3 and 4, affecting over 300,000 passengers. As well as being responsible for thousands of cancellations, today’s strike is responsible for nearly 500,000 minutes of delay or the same amount of minutes in 365 days or one full year. Airlines have had little notice of the impact of these strikes, resulting in hundreds of last-minute cancellations.

“This strike is intolerable. French ATC already delivers some of Europe’s worst delay figures and now the actions of a minority of French ATC workers will needlessly disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and across Europe,” said Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of A4E.

“There is intense discussion about passenger rights in the EU right now, yet policymakers have done little to fix ATC to help them attain the most basic right: reaching your destination on time,” she continued.

Flights impacted by the strike are as follows:

Cancelled departing flights from London Stansted Airport:

• Ryanair FR1468, London Stansted to Marseille, 2.10pm
• Ryanair FR2479, London Stansted to Poitiers, 2.10pm
• Ryanair FR8503, London Stansted to Nantes, 4.15pm
• Ryanair FR8776, London Stansted to Limoges, 6.10pm

Cancelled arriving flights to London Stansted Airport:

• Ryanair FR2480, Poitiers to London Stansted Airport, 5.30pm

Cancelled arriving flights to London Southend Airport:

• easyJet EJU 4661, Paris to London Stansted Airport, 10.30am
• easyJet EJU 4662, Paris to London Stansted Airport, 11.05am

Ryanair were contacted for comment.