French aviation authorities cut Paris-CDG flights by 17%

France's Civil Aviation Authority ordered a 17% cut in flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Thursday.

London's Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports cut more flights as Europe's travel chaos continues in the summer. 

Heathrow has asked the airline to cut 30 flights from its schedule on Thursday morning amid concerns that the peak number of passengers will exceed a level it can safely handle.

France's Civil Aviation Authority ordered a 17% cut in flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Thursday due to a fire strike. The strike will result in the closure of two of the hub's four runways between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time. The labor struggle could continue over the weekend and spill over to another centre of Paris in Orly as more categories of workers plan strikes. 

As a result of Thursday's disruptions, the French division of Air France-KLM cancelled 62 flights, while retaining all of its long-haul and 90% short- and medium-haul flights, the spokesperson said. 

While affected flights make up only a small fraction of the total of the two airports, the last-minute cancellation adds to the chaos surrounding travel in Europe as staff shortages turn the schedule upside down and labor unrest gains momentum. 

Heathrow, the busiest in Europe before the coronavirus pandemic, will work with carriers to rebook passengers for off-peak hour flights so that as many people as possible can still fly, a statement said Wednesday.

The cancellation of flights to Heathrow comes even after British Airways, the airport's largest carrier, cut summer capacity by 10% to reduce pressure on operations.

"We are working hard to ensure everyone has a seamless journey around Heathrow this summer," the centre said. "The most important thing is to make sure that all service providers at the airport have enough resources to meet demand."

In Paris-CDG, the country's largest international airport, the coup could be exacerbated on Friday when a strike is planned by unions representing a wider range of workers. 

Talks between operator Aeroports de Paris and union representatives failed to reach an agreement on wages earlier this week, when employees demanded better compensation to reflect inflation and improved working conditions.