I was planning an IFR flight to Sion today from Lydd which is normally just under three hours in still air routing to the East of Paris. There’s a route that I regularly file and route via Reims, Vatry, Dijon and VFR from Lake Geneva (Lac Leman).
However for today there’s some sort of restrictions around Paris that mean all routes offered go via Belgium and Germany making the flight over four hours. Return routing doesn’t appear to have the restrictions so I wonder what is going on. I’ll fly VFR but it would be interesting to get to the bottom of it. Thomas at Autorouter has suggested contacting Eurocontrol for an exemption but I think in the circumstances that is more trouble than it’s worth. I’ve altered proposed flight levels up to FL310 just to test offered routing but that hasn’t changed much.
For a technical view this is what I tried and what I get in reply:
The routing offered in December 2023 (and other times) was as follows: EGMD N0130F090 LYD DCT RINTI B3 VATRI G40 ARSIL B13 SOMDA A6 DJL DCT LIRKO Y55 GVA VFR LSGS
However I now get this: (R)PROF204: RS: TRAFFIC VIA LFFFCTA IS ON FORBIDDEN ROUTE REF:[NM2043A] LFFFCTA
This is what AR gives:
EGMD N0147F040 LYD/N0147F090 DCT KONAN/N0162F180 L607 GILOM/N0174F180 M624 DIK N852 GTQ V17 OBORN R112 BUZUC VFR LSGS
Judging by this picture, it’s industrial action in France.
The return flight tomorrow has been accepted as the normal routing that I’d expect:
N0130F080 SPR/N0130F080 IFR A1 DJL A6 SOMDA B13 ARSIL G40 VATRI/N0130F090 B3
BILGO/N0130F100 B3 CMB/N0130F070 B3 TRACA
I’ve had “staff shortage” (the standard phrase for an ATC strike) on almost every flight in France in last 1-2 years. Also their ATC (when working) is very obviously unwilling to phone up a military unit to arrange a transit (the far SE corner seems to be one exception).
The service I received through France today was very good and extended through almost the whole flight. The only time I wasn’t in contact with ATC and receiving a service was in the Rhone Valley from Lac Leman to Martigny where reception is compromised by the mountains.
When I have had problems in the past with French ATC because of ‘strikes’ or ’working to rule’, I have often circumnavigated the problem by filing VFR at a reasonable FL+500.
One has to, of course, avoid Class A around Paris; but the resultant route is often quicker or easier than going trans-Continental via Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany.
Alerted by a PPLIR member it looks like it wasn’t a strike but a potential thirty percent capacity restriction around Paris during tests for a new system coming in Autumn 2024. See here
Hmmm between now and “Autumn” is… how many months? A 30% loss of capacity for how long?
The trial is due to end on or before 14th February with the new system (whatever it is) coming in during the coming Autumn.
