Ground staff at all three Paris airports are set to strike on Thursday 18 June 2026, raising the prospect of flight delays, baggage disruption and slower aircraft turnarounds at some of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs during the summer peak travel season.
The 24-hour walkout covers Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY) and Le Bourget (LBG). It has been called by a joint union group representing airport employees, including CGT, CFDT, Unsa and Sud Aérien.
At the heart of the dispute are security clearance badges, which airport workers must hold to access restricted zones. Unions say the rules for issuing and renewing these badges have tightened significantly since a new prefect took charge of airport security in the summer of 2024. Workers fear that employees could lose their badges over old, minor or unrelated offences, effectively barring them from their own workplaces.
The categories of staff called to strike include baggage handlers, ramp agents, check-in staff, security badge holders, cleaning crews and ground transport personnel. Air traffic controllers are not involved in the action, meaning runways will remain open and flight slot capacity is expected to be preserved. However, analysts warn that even a partial reduction in ramp manpower can trigger widespread knock-on delays, particularly at CDG, which serves as a key connection point for Air France-KLM‘s long-haul network and the SkyTeam alliance.
Carriers considered most exposed to disruption include Air France, British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and United Airlines. Peak-hour services to London Heathrow, New York JFK, Dubai and key African capitals are among those at greatest risk.
Previous comparable strike days at Paris airports have resulted in capacity cuts of up to 40% at CDG and Orly. The scale of disruption on 18 June will depend on the level of staff participation and whether management can deploy sufficient volunteer cover, a tactic that has limited the impact of several recent French transport strikes.
Charles de Gaulle handled more than 33 million passengers in the first months of 2026, according to airport figures, underlining how even short-lived disruption can ripple well beyond France. The strike date falls as airlines are ramping up frequencies for the summer peak, compressing the window for recovery from any operational setbacks.
The 18 June action forms part of a broader wave of transport disruption in France this month. A national SNCF rail strike involving all four major railway unions took place on 10 June, causing widespread cancellations to TGV, Intercités, TER and international services including Eurostar. A rally has been confirmed for 10:00am at Terminal 1, Roissy-CDG on the day of the airport strike.
Passengers travelling through any of the three Paris airports on 18 June are advised to check their flight status directly with their airline in the days before departure. Those whose flights are cancelled are entitled to a full refund or rebooking under EU261 passenger rights rules, which apply to all flights departing from EU airports regardless of the airline’s country of registration. Compensation of up to 600 euros per passenger may also apply where the disruption is deemed within the airline’s control.
Travellers are also advised to complete online check-in in advance, travel with hand luggage only where possible, and allow additional time at the airport if their journey cannot be rescheduled. Official updates will be published on the websites of the individual airlines and on the Paris Aéroport official channels.
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