Air France pilots, stewards embark on strike, demand pay rise

Half of Air France’s long-haul flights out of Paris were cancelled Thursday due to a strike over pay by pilots, cabin crew and ground staff.“No cash, no planes,” staff chanted as they marched noisily through Terminal 2 of Charles de Gaulle airport, wearing fluorescent jackets and waving union flags.

Riot police twice used tear gas outside the terminal but the demonstration by hundreds of staff was otherwise peaceful and had finished by mid-afternoon. Managers estimated that 28 percent of staff took part in the strike, allowing it to maintain 75 percent of its service but only 50 percent of long-haul flights out of Paris.

The airline had earlier advised travellers to postpone their trips until February 27 at no extra cost.“Air France regrets this situation and is making every effort to minimise the inconvenience this strike action may cause to its customers,” a statement said.

Salaries at Air France have been frozen since 2011, but the airline group reported an operating profit up 42 percentage 1.49 billion euros ($1.84 billion) for last year.