Paris airports labour dispute threatens Olympics arrivals
A dispute between aviation workers and management at the French capital's airports threatens to overshadow years of preparations for visitors and athletes arriving for the Paris Olympics this month.
Unions at state-controlled ADP group, which runs Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, announced a one-day stoppage on 17 July to press for bigger Olympics bonuses and staff recruitment.
"The fact that we are forced to call for a strike is because of the obstinate refusal of management and in particular the CEO of the company," unions said in a joint statement on Monday.
The stand-off with management could impact the Paris Games, with athletes set to start arriving from 18 July and hundreds of thousands of ticket holders flying in ahead of the 26 July opening ceremony.
Along with train stations, Charles de Gaulle and Orly are set to be the main gateways into France for foreign Olympics fans, as well as athletes and equipment.
The ability of ADP's unions to mobilise workers next week is uncertain, however, with a previous stoppage called on 19 May having little effect on operations.
Charles de Gaulle and Orly will be the first glimpse many foreign visitors and athletes have of the French capital when they arrive for the Games.
As a result, ADP has spent 50 million euros upgrading its infrastructure and French authorities are deploying extra resources to make the experience as smooth and safe as possible.
That number is well above the daily summer average of 200,000 at the airport and is far beyond the record 250,000 daily fliers reached in the summer of 2019.
(with AFP)
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