The timing of the strike is especially acute, with Friday being the last day of school in France before the summer vacation and many families contemplating an early departure

About 40 per cent of flights were cancelled Friday at all Paris airports and tens of thousands of passengers were rearranging plans at the height of the summer travel season because of a strike by French air traffic controllers seeking better working conditions.

A second day of strikes by French air traffic controllers have disrupted more flights and caused cancellations at airports in France. About 40 per cent of flights serving the country's capital Paris have been cancelled,