ReadNOW

France’s civil aviation authority said some flights were still being cancelled and many others are delayed on Monday at Paris-Orly airport.

It comes a day after air traffic control systems suffered a breakdown that caused substantial disruption at the French transport hub.

“The situation is improving,” the authority, known as DGAC, said in a statement.

Airlines have been asked to reduce flights by 15 per cent on Monday – down from a 40 per cent reduction on Sunday.

“Despite these preventive measures, delays are expected,” the statement said.

Traffic control failure causes hundreds of cancelled flights at Paris-Orly

On Sunday afternoon, 130 flights at Paris-Orly were grounded due to the system failure.

Thousands of passengers were affected, including some who were already on planes and were required to disembark when the glitch occurred.

The DGAC blamed an air traffic control “malfunction”, while an airport source told the news site France 24 that it was the result of a “radar failure”.

Which flights have been cancelled at Paris-Orly airport today?

Paris-Orly airport serves domestic and international flights, including to most European countries and the United States.

Flights to Italy, Spain, Portugal and southern France have notably been cancelled on Monday.

Departures to Lisbon, Porto, Helsinki, Rome, Nice and Toulon have already been scrapped this morning. Fewer flights seem to be affected in the afternoon so far.

Services that have not been cancelled are expected to face delays throughout the day.

This is because arrivals and departures are being spread out around the airport to help maintain a steady and safe flow of aircraft while the situation is being resolved.

The DGCA and Orly operator Aeroport de Paris are advising passengers with flights scheduled today to contact their airline for the latest information.

More than 33 million passengers travelled through Paris-Orly airport last year, about half the number at the French capital’s larger hub Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, according to figures released by the operator Aeroport de Paris.

My flight was cancelled, am I entitled to compensation?

Under UK and EU law, passengers will receive a refund for a cancelled flight.

However, travellers are unlikely to be entitled to additional compensation for services scrapped on Sunday and Monday at Paris-Orly.

This is because airlines will likely argue that an air traffic control failure is considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ that could not be avoided.

Passengers are also entitled to a duty of care for flights delayed over two hours. Airlines are required to provide refreshments as appropriate after a specified length of time. 

If the delay is prolonged overnight, the airline is obliged, in theory, to find and pay for accommodation. In practice, operators often claim this is “too difficult” and invite passengers to book their own and request reimbursement later.