A strike by French air traffic controllers entered its second day on Friday, causing further flight delays and cancellations at the start of Europe's peak travel season.
Civil aviation agency DGAC told airlines to cancel 40% of flights at the three main Paris airports on Friday because of the strike, which the air traffic controllers say is over staff shortages and ageing equipment.
Up to half of flights at France's other airports, mostly in the south, were also affected, DGAC added.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called the strike unacceptable. "The idea is to disturb as many people as possible," he said in an interview with CNews.
Even with the cancellations, DGAC warned that passengers could be affected by delays and significant disruptions.
The Airlines for Europe (A4E) lobby group said late on Thursday that 1,500 flights had been cancelled over the two-day strike, affecting 300,000 passengers and causing cascading delays.
