Flights ‘normal’ despite ongoing strike at Orly

PARIS, Feb 21 (AFP) – Traffic at Orly airport outside Paris should return to normal Tuesday despite the continuation of a three-day strike by ground staff, an Air France spokesman said Monday.

More than 80 percent of flights operated Monday – up from 55 percent on Sunday, the spokesman said.

Strikers voted to maintain their stoppage, launched on Friday in protest against the suspension of a worker accused of failing to observe safety procudures in an incident that caused the death of a flight attendant.

The action caused severe disruption over the weekend, which was the start of winter holidays for Paris schools.

The dispute began after the flight attendant accidentally fell to her death from the top of a mobile stairway as passengers were disembarking on February 1. The disciplined worker is believed to have moved the stairway too early.

But strikers say the accident was caused indirectly by a policy of cost-cutting and quick turnarounds, and accuse management of seeking a scapegoat.