No-fly zone and strikes: Will flights be disrupted during the Olympic opening ceremony?

26.07.2024 - 22:59 / euronews.com / Paris Orly / Angela Symons

Despite a recent agreement preventing an airport strike in Paris on 17 July, one union is still threatening to walk out in the lead up to the Olympic Games.

As a result, Paris Orly and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airports could be hit by industrial action on the day of the opening ceremony.

The strike notice filed by the Force Ouvrière (FO) union - which represents 11.5 per cent of workers at the Paris airports - is set to begin at 5am on 26 July and last until 7am the following day.

A deal reached last week between the CGT, CFDT and UNSA unions and the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group granted one of their key demands - a blanket €300 bonus for all staff. 

But the FO union says it doesn’t go far enough. They want the bonuses to be increased to €1,000, among other pay demands.

Major disruption is not expected, as other unions have not joined FO’s strike notice.

The impact of the strike will also be minimised by a no-fly zone, which will be in place from 6:30pm until midnight during Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony to avoid disruption and improve security.

During this period, airport landings will be suspended. Airlines have already cancelled flights ahead of time to respect the ban, and passengers have been informed and rerouted as necessary.

Paris is preparing to welcome over 15 million visitors during the Olympic Games between 29 July and 11 August.

If you’re heading to the French capital, it will pay to plan your travel beyond the airport.

As many Olympic events will take place on the Seine river, various streets and bridges near iconic monuments such as Notre Dame will be closed, warns GuruWalk, which provides free walking tours of Paris and other cities.

Check the Paris City Hall website for the latest closures and disruptions, and the official Paris 2024 site for schedules and updates.

You’ll also find a list of metro and tram closures on the RATP website. Be sure to plan your route ahead of time and leave extra time for travel by public transport to account for closures and crowds. Better yet, consider walking to your destination if it is only a short distance away.

Finally, download alternative navigation apps for your trip to Paris, recommends Fabien Percuha, an experienced GuruWalk guide. Combining Google Maps with Citymapper and the official Bonjour RATP app will help you to better monitor street closures, station closures and traffic congestion in the city.