A passenger looks at a flight information board which indicates delayed and cancelled flights at Nice International airport during a strike by French air traffic controllers June 11, 2013 (Photo: Reuters)
A strike by air traffic controllers is snarling flights around France, as workers protest a plan to simplify Europe's patchwork airspace and open up more air traffic duties to private enterprise.
About 1,800 flights were canceled for a second day in France — about half the normal number of flights, according to the French authority that tracks airport conditions. In Britain, delays were primarily related to the French strike — easyJet canceled 66 flights going to France or passing through its airspace.
The umbrella union for air traffic controllers said 11 countries would take part, but the significant job action appeared limited to France.
Air traffic controllers say they fear threats to passenger safety and to their jobs and claim the EU is yielding to industry pressure to cut costs.
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