Air traffic control breakdowns at Paris airports have caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled and delayed, with the Aviation and Aviation Authority said the chaos will expand on Monday.
The breakdown hit Sunday, affecting thousands of passengers and was already sitting on a plane at the French capital's second largest airport when the flight was cancelled.
The failure of the Control Tower forced around 130 flights to cancel within and outside on Sunday, officials said.
That had not been resolved by the end of Sunday, and the DGAC France Civil Aviation Authority said it was “seeking airlines to cut 15% by 15% on Monday,” warning that “delays are expected.”
“The situation is improving, but traffic restrictions are still needed,” DGAC said.
Authorities have condemned “malfunction” in air traffic control. An airport source said there was a “radar problem.”
Flights to destinations in Europe and North Africa, as well as all of France, were hits. A long queue formed at the terminal amid a crazy rush to find alternative transport.
“We're looking forward to seeing you in the process of exploring the world,” said Azgar Abicho, a 63-year-old business owner.
“The only option is a 300 euro flight. There's only one seat left, but since we have two, I'm not even sure if it'll take off,” said Romane Penault, a 22-year-old student. “For now, we're going home.”
Agnes Girouri, 46, desperately tried to find a seat at the terminal for her 86-year-old mother and six-year-old son. The family should have gone on a flight to Oujda, Morocco to go to the funeral on Sunday evening.
“The flight is cancelled. Luckily, I'm with my mother,” she said.
Last year, Orly handled roughly 33 million passengers. This is about half of the major Paris Charles Degaard International Airport.
July LBX/SG/TW
