close
close

A major strike at Paris airport could affect travel to the 2024 Olympic Games

A major strike at Paris airport could affect travel to the 2024 Olympic Games

If you are traveling to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, you may want to review your travel plans.

Five different unions representing Aéroports de Paris (ADP) workers – including those at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports – are preparing to strike on July 17, just nine days before the summer sporting event is scheduled to begin, Bloomberg reported. The 24-hour strike is a dispute over employee bonuses: the unions are demanding that all workers receive a pay raise during the busy event period from July 26 to August 11.

During the one-day strike, which is due to start at 5am next Wednesday, union members will ultimately decide whether to extend the strike ahead of the Games. The dispute is unlikely to result in flight cancellations, but it could affect travel in and out of the capital, with delays to baggage and security checks. There is no information, however, on what impact the strike might have on the private jet industry.

Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports will be the main entry points for foreign visitors, including spectators and athletes. The French newspaper The World It is estimated that up to 350,000 people would arrive in the city through the airports each day, with the first participants expected to arrive on July 18, when the Olympic Village opens. To accommodate the athletes and their equipment, a temporary, oversized baggage terminal has been set up at Paris CDG airport to handle everything from kayaks to vaulting poles to bicycles.

Earlier, Air France-KLM announced that it expects hundreds of millions in lost revenue from June to August as more tourists stay away from Paris during the Olympics. The airline noted a “significant avoidance” of the City of Lights by both foreigners and locals, who are either postponing their vacations or proposing alternative travel plans. “Travel to and from France is expected to normalize after the Olympics, with encouraging demand levels forecast for the end of August and the month of September,” the airline said in a statement.

Of course, if you’re planning a trip this month, there’s plenty to do in the French capital. If you want to join in on the festivities, look for hotels that offer sports-inspired cocktails and amenities. You can also pass the time with a watch-shopping trip to some of the city’s best watch boutiques.