Paris, France: French pilots and cabin crew are set to strike across France from October 17 to 21 after five unions filed a national strike notice over changes to the country’s employment-retirement rules. The action will run from 00:01 on October 17 to 23:59 on October 21, covering aviation personnel working under French labour law. The unions are SNPL, UNSA PNC, SNPNC-FO, SNGAF and UNAC.
The unions are opposing the cumulative employee-retrative reform due to take effect on January 1, 2027. They argue that the rules do not reflect the specific conditions of aviation careers, including medical requirements and legally imposed age limits. The unions are also seeking to exclude the CRPN supplementary pension scheme from the reform. In their latest notice, they described the reform as “particularly punitive and inappropriate” for aviation personnel and said they had received only “limited promises” on protections for the sector.
The unions have called for pilots and cabin crew to “completely cease work” during the five-day period but said they remain ready to resume talks with the government. No airline has yet announced a detailed cancellation programme for October 17–21, and the eventual impact will depend on participation and operational measures taken by individual carriers. The action coincides with the start of France’s Toussaint school holidays on October 17.
Separately, easyJet’s French pilots will face a separate strike on October 1 and 2 after the SNPL postponed action that had been scheduled for September 24- 25. The union said negotiations with easyJet were progressing and that the postponement was intended to give the talks more time. The SNPL has cited unstable pilot schedules and working conditions as the main issues. Pilots at easyJet’s French bases in Paris Orly, Paris CDG, Nantes, Lyon, Nice and Bordeaux could participate if no agreement is reached.
The September 24–25 easyJet strike dates have therefore been superseded, while the October 17–21 national action remains in place. Neither the national unions nor easyJet’s French pilot dispute has resulted in a confirmed list of October flight cancellations at this stage.
