Strikes at airports and on public transportation may affect thousands of Rugby World Cup travelers.
As French airport personnel threaten strikes during the Rugby World Cup, sports fans traveling next week may experience travel disruption.
The nation’s main air traffic controllers union (SNCTA) has requested that employees stage a nationwide walkout on September 15 and October 13.
Between September 8 and October 28, thousands of fans will come to France to attend matches at the Rugby World Cup.
Strikes may cause flight delays and cancellations for planes that pass through French airspace. They have been asked to seek salary that keeps pace with the rate of inflation growth.
In what country is the Rugby World Cup being held?
There will be rugby World Cup games in stadiums all over France.
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, Stade de Marseille, Stade de Bordeaux, Stade de Nice, Stadium de Toulouse, Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, OL Stadium in Lyon, and Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris—where the championship match will be played—are a few of these venues.
There have been more than 2.5 million ticket sales, and a record 600,000 spectators are anticipated to come from outside of France.
According to Michel Poussau, executive director of Rugby World Cup 2023 and chief of events for World Rugby, 60% of foreign spectators at the games are from the UK. There will also likely be a sizable contingent of spectators from Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The strike falls on September 15, the day of the New Zealand vs. Namibia game at Toulouse’s Stadium, the Samoa vs. Chile match at Bordeaux’s Stade, and the Wales vs. Portugal match at Nice’s Stade. Travelers planning to attend the Ireland vs. Tonga match at Stade de la Beaujoire on September 16 may also be impacted.
Although there are no games on October 28th, the walkout may have an impact on supporters returning after the final.
Airports across the nation may be impacted because the air traffic control strikes will be nationwide.
What other flights might be impacted by strikes in French air traffic control?
French air traffic control strikes earlier this year disrupted travel plans even for people whose aircraft were neither landing nor taking off from France.
Many flights pass over the nation en route to other locations because of its central European location. Additionally impacted by strikes by French air traffic controllers are these “overflights.”
This results in cancellations and delays in neighboring nations like Spain, the UK, Germany, and Italy.
Due to the strikes in March, more over 10 million passengers experienced delays or cancellations overall. It’s possible that about half of those individuals were aboard a flight that was merely traveling through France.
At Paris Orly, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Nantes airports, 33% of flights were canceled on May 1; at Paris Charles de Gaulle, Beauvais, and Nice airports, 25% of flights were canceled.
During the Rugby World Cup, Paris Metro employees might also go on strike
Strikes may also affect public transportation during the Rugby World Cup. The Paris Metro staff has threatened to strike during the competition.
Station employees have not been awarded more money, but train drivers will receive a bonus in acknowledgment of the extra services they must provide during the event.
Workers in Paris’ public transportation system are represented by the trade union FO-RATP, and members have vowed to strike over the problem. The talks are still going on.