Volotea pilots and cabin crew to strike in France over low pay and working conditions
Three French unions have called on pilots and cabin crew of Spanish low-cost airline Volotea to strike in early September over low wages and deteriorating working conditions; the airline has warned of possible flight disruptions.
Why staff are striking
Staff at Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea in France are set to strike in early September. The walkout was called by three unions — SNPL (Syndicat National des Pilotes de Ligne), UNAC (Union des Navigants de l'Aviation Civile) and SPL (Syndicat des Pilotes de Ligne) — who point to increasingly degraded working conditions and what they describe as insufficient pay.
Sources give slightly different dates for the strike. Nice-Matin reports the action running from Friday, September 4, to Sunday, September 6, while Le Parisien's article text cites Friday, September 5, through Sunday, September 7 (even though the same article's headline mentions a September 4–6 period).
Pay frozen since 2012
SNPL representative Patrick Marciniak says the pay scale has not been revised since 2012, even though inflation since then has exceeded 25%. According to an independent expert report commissioned by the unions, copilots and captains at Volotea earn on average up to 50% less than colleagues at other airlines operating in France, while entry-level "second officers" are paid barely above the minimum wage. As reported by Le Parisien, the SNPL's statement also criticizes management for granting itself average pay rises of 23% in 2025, while pilots' salaries have remained frozen.
According to the SNPL, 80% of Volotea's roughly 200 pilots in France backed the strike notice in an internal consultation. The unions say pilots are often worked to the legal maximum — six days a week — and that many leave the company after just a few years. Nice-Matin notes that under French aviation regulations, maximum flying time is generally capped at 90 hours a month. The same outlet recalls that in June 2022, a Nantes police tribunal fined Volotea €247,500 for exceeding legal working-time limits.
Impact on passengers
Volotea warned passengers as early as August 31 that some flights could be delayed or cancelled, advising travelers not to go to the airport in case of cancellation but instead to request a rebooking or refund via its website; affected passengers are to be notified by email and text message. In France, Volotea carried 7.2 million passengers in 2025 across 290 routes from 11 airport bases, with France accounting for 60% of the airline's overall activity. At Nice airport alone, Volotea serves nine destinations, including Bordeaux, Brussels, Lille, Luxembourg and Venice.
