A strike by staff at the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), which is in charge of air traffic control across 18 countries, paralyzed several African airports on Friday, including Abidjan Airport in Côte d'Ivoire, where all commercial flights were halted, sources told AFP.
Flight cancellations in and out of West and Central Africa were caused by air traffic controllers striking to demand an improvement in working conditions and a salary increase.
The strike, launched by the Union of Air Traffic Controllers Unions (USYCAA), began Friday morning at 08:00 GMT and should last 48 hours.
"Minimum service is provided for military and humanitarian flights," a USYCAA official in Burkina Faso told AFP.
ASECNA described the strike as a “wildcat” and said it was prohibited “by all the courts.”
“We have already exhausted both administrative and institutional remedies in the management of the crisis, but we have in front of us trade unionists who are stubborn to do whatever they want,” Ceubah Guelpina, ASECNA’s head of human resources, reportedly said at a press conference.
Initially, ASECNA staff had scheduled the strike for August 25-27, but the movement was suspended as negotiations with the management over work conditions began.