A Major Paris Airport Strike Could Disrupt Travel to the Olympics

 
If you’re heading to the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, you may want to check in on your travel plans.

Five different unions representing employees for the Aéroports de Paris (ADP)—including the airports of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly—are preparing to go on strike on July 17, just nine days before the summer sporting event is supposed to start, Bloomberg reported. The 24-hour walkout is over a dispute about staff bonuses: The unions are demanding that all workers receive a pay increase amid the busy event period from July 26 to August 11.  

During the one-day strike, which is set to kick off next Wednesday at 5 a.m., union members will ultimately decide whether they want to extend the walkout in the run-up to the Games. The dispute is unlikely to result in flight cancellations, however it could disrupt travel in and out of the capital by causing baggage and security delays. There’s no word on how the strike could impact the private-jet industry, though.

The Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports will be the main entry points for foreign visitors, which include spectators and athletes alike. The French newspaper Le Monde estimated that up to 350,000 people would be arriving in the city daily through its airports, with competitors expected to begin arriving on July 18 when the Olympic Village opens. To accommodate the athletes and their equipment, a temporary oversized baggage terminal at Paris CDG has been installed to handle everything from kayaks to vaulting poles and bikes. 

Previously, Air France-KLM announced it expects to lose hundreds of millions in revenue from June to August as more tourists opt to steer clear of Paris during the Olympics. The airline group noted a “significant avoidance” of the City of Light from both foreigners and residents, who are either postponing their vacation or proposing alternate travel plans. “Travel to and from France is expected to normalize after the Olympic Games, with encouraging demand levels projected for the end of August and the month of September,” the airline group said in a statement. 

Of course, if you do plan on making the trek this month, there are tons to do in the French capital. For those wanting to get in on the festivities, keep an eye out for hotels going all in on sports-inspired cocktails and amenity packages. You could always pass the time too by embarking on a horological shopping trip to some of the city’s best watch boutiques.