Air Traffic Control Strikes and the Quest to Modernize Air Travel in Europe

Flights throughout Europe today were cancelled due to a strike by one of France's unions of Air Traffic Controllers, UNSA-ICNA, scheduled from June 24-29. T he situation may have been worse, had another French Air Traffic Controllers Union SNCTA joined in, as was originally planned. However, a last-minute understanding between SNCTA members and Frédéric Cuvillier, French Secretary of State for Transport, on progress to modernize the French ATC system, persuaded the SNCTA against participation. "Governments have recognized the need to break with a blind policy of lowering costs," said SNCTA in an official statement. "They accepted the principle of a correlation between the demonstrated needs of investments for air traffic control and research funding adapted to these needs." The striking union, UNSA-ICNA, claims that plans by the French Directorate General of Civil aviation