Delays, cancellations, an overloaded airport… Travelers departing from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport are at their wits’ end. The air traffic controllers’ strike is significantly disrupting France’s third largest airport during this summer season.
“I’ve had enough, there’s just too many people, my flight is delayed. Honestly, it’s torture,” explains Sarah, with an irritated tone. Like her, many travelers are seeing their flights delayed or even canceled. It’s a critical situation at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, the result of an ongoing air traffic controllers’ strike. It’s the low-cost airlines that are particularly suffering. For France’s third largest airport, with its fifteen million passengers per year, air control problems are turning into a disaster. As we begin August, the rest of the summer already promises to be challenging.
Significant Delays
A large number of flights from Nice are delayed. And it has been like this for several months now. In the heart of terminal 2, travelers are exhausted. “We have a two-hour delay for our EasyJet flight to Paris Orly. We’ll arrive very late, we don’t even know if the metro will still be running when we get there, and we might have to take a taxi, so extra costs,” explains Anthony, father of a family returning home.
In an attempt to appease travelers, some airlines, like EasyJet, offer nine euro vouchers for free food and drinks at the airport. It’s a gesture that’s appreciated, though it doesn’t completely quell the anger of the passengers. “Sure, at least I’m eating for free, there’s truth in that and it’s always a nice gesture. But nine euros at an airport is barely a standard sandwich and a small bottle of water. It doesn’t get you far. If I want a dessert, a soda, something extra, it’s out of my own pocket,” says Thomas, a passenger of a Wizz Air delayed flight.
An Overloaded Airport
The immediate consequence of these numerous delays is the overloading of Nice airport, especially its terminal 2. Nobody is boarding the planes, and everyone is waiting, either in chairs or in dining areas. “It’s unbearable. Look here, we’re six people at a table for four, without even knowing each other. All these people, it’s overwhelming,” says Jacqueline, a 68-year-old retiree heading to meet her grandchildren in Paris.
The queue for buying food is endless, with people waiting in line, boarding lines mixing with those waiting for their flights. Terminal 2 is overloaded. “People enter after going through security only to never leave. With so many delayed flights, everyone has to wait and no one leaves the terminal. I’ve never seen anything like this, and I travel often,” states Julien, a businessman waiting for his flight abroad.
Flights Sometimes Canceled
The air traffic controllers’ strike sometimes leads to flight cancellations. On Thursday, July 24, it is 8 PM at Nice airport. The EasyJet flight to Paris Orly, scheduled to take off at 6:50 PM, is announced with a more than two-hour delay. It’s stuck in Porto due to control issues preventing its return to French territory. Passengers are waiting, scattered throughout a crowded terminal 2. Then suddenly, phones light up. A notification announces the cancellation of the flight. “Well, I think I’m heading back to Antibes tonight, darling,” says Michel to his wife on the phone. While some resign themselves, others try to quickly find solutions. “I canceled my flight and booked a new one for tomorrow morning for 375 euros. I feel really dumb, but it was the only solution,” explains Clara, who had to get to Paris. It’s chaos in terminal 2. No one knows where to go or how to retrieve their already checked-in luggage.
On Monday, July 28, a similar cancellation occurred. This time it was for a flight from Paris Orly at 8:30 in the morning, to Nice. In the evening, on an Air France flight to Nice, a passenger explains the course of his day: “I got up at six this morning to find out my flight was canceled. I didn’t know what to do. I immediately opened the form to try to change my flight, and luckily I was able to take this Air France flight for free. It’s something saved even though I had planned to arrive in Nice this morning,” explains Alexis.
For Nice airport, the upcoming month of August promises to be complicated. The air traffic controllers’ strike is still ongoing. For travelers, they will need to arm themselves with patience.
