Half-Term Disruption Watch: France, Italy, Leeds Bradford and the Gulf
France's 17–21 October aviation strike is suspended, not cancelled. Italy has a 24-hour easyJet crew strike on Friday, and Leeds Bradford's controllers have stood down for now.
Half-term is close, and the disruption picture keeps shifting. Here’s what’s on, what’s off and what’s only paused.
France: suspended, not cancelled
French unions had called a pilot and cabin-crew strike from 00:01 on 17 October to 23:59 on 21 October. It would have hit Air France, Transavia France and Corsair at the start of Toussaint and English half-term. On 9 October, cabin-crew union SNPNC posted: “LE PRÉAVIS EST SUSPENDU, LA VIGILANCE EST MAINTENUE” (“the strike notice is suspended, but we remain vigilant”). Unions could file a new notice.
Update, 19 October: The French pilot and cabin-crew strike notice for 17–21 October remains suspended rather than withdrawn. The most recent statement we can find from SNPNC is its 9 October post: “LE PRÉAVIS EST SUSPENDU, LA VIGILANCE EST MAINTENUE” (“the strike notice is suspended, but we remain vigilant”). We found no new notice from the unions as of 19 October.
Paris curfew, 19 October: After weekend riots, Paris police have barred anyone from the centre of Place de la République and a sector of Les Halles from 23:00 Monday 19 October to 06:00 Tuesday, and banned undeclared protests in several other zones from 20:00. Residents, workers and shopkeepers are exempt. Details and what to tell clients: Paris curfew: what travellers need to know.
Italy: Friday 16 October
easyJet cabin crew in Italy plan a 24-hour strike on 16 October, alongside separate local actions at Venice, Pisa and Florence airports. Italy’s minimum-service rules protect flights from 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00. This is from Italian media; check with easyJet before travel.
Leeds Bradford: weekend strike off, half-term walkouts possible
The 16–18 October strike at Leeds Bradford Airport did not go ahead. On 15 October, Unite said it had suspended action by about 130 members “in good faith” after the airport made new pay offers. The members include air traffic controllers and hourly paid staff in passport control, check-in, security, passenger assistance and cleaning.
Read next · NewsSpain's 11 November General Strike Is Now Official1 min →The two groups are now voting separately on their offers. If they reject them, strikes from 23 October to 2 November, covering English half-term, would go ahead. Unite had not published a result by 19 October.
The dispute is about pay. Unite says its members want parity with Newcastle Airport, where a starting air traffic controller earns about £55,000, against about £34,000 at Leeds Bradford. Newcastle is part-owned by AENA, which holds a 51% stake in Leeds Bradford. Unite said on 5 October that a full strike would shut the airport, because no flights can operate without air traffic control and passport control.
For advisors: clients flying from Leeds Bradford between 23 October and 2 November should keep their airline’s contact details handy, and you should keep checking for the vote result. If a strike is confirmed, discuss rebooking through another airport early.
Heathrow: catering strike averted
On 15 October, Unite said more than 270 members at Do & Co, an airline caterer at Heathrow, had won improved pay after voting to strike over a 3% offer. Loaders get 6.25% and other members 5%, backdated to 1 April 2026. That strike threat is now off.
The Gulf
The FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to all of Saudi Arabia, and against all travel within 10 km of the Yemen border (updated 17 October). Riyadh’s King Khalid International remained suspended on 17 October. Latest: our Riyadh and Saudi airports update. KLM says it won’t fly to Riyadh or Dammam until 31 October inclusive. Check Gulf connections on any half-term long-haul trip.
Sources
- Unite, Leeds Bradford Airport strikes won't go ahead, 15 Oct 2026
- Unite, Leeds Bradford Airport strikes to escalate, 12 Oct 2026
- Unite, Leeds Bradford Airport air traffic controllers strike halted, 13 Oct 2026
- Unite, Leeds Bradford Airport shutdown as workers will strike, 5 Oct 2026
- SNPNC, strike notice suspended, 9 Oct 2026
- Unite, Strikes averted at Do & Co, 15 Oct 2026
- SNPNC, 9 Oct 2026
- Unite, 13 Oct 2026
- FCDO, 11 Oct 2026
- KLM, updated 10 Oct 2026
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