News Digest: Airplane Strikes, Hunting Season & Your Moving to France Qs Answered

The SNCTA (Syndicat national des contrôleurs du trafic aérien), France’s union for air traffic controllers has called a nationwide strike for this Friday, September 15^th. The strikes, which are over a call for inflation-related pay rises, are likely to impact travel across the country, with potential delays or cancellations of both domestic and international flights.

It’s unknown at the time of writing how many flights will be affected, but if you plan to fly this Friday, we recommend keeping an eye out for travel updates and cancellations. Typically, airports will be informed 48 hours in advance of any cancelled flights, and most airlines will aim to inform passengers of any changes at this stage. If your flight is still going ahead, it’s still a good idea to leave extra time at the airport for check-in and security, as understaffing is likely to lead to delays.

France’s annual hunting season, La Chasse, opens this week, meaning that licenced hunters can once again hunt on public land (and private land where permission is granted). The official opening dates of the hunting season vary throughout the different French departments but fall between September 10^th and September 17^th – you can consult the full list of dates here. The hunting season runs through until late February or March, again depending on the department.

If you live in or plan to visit rural areas to hike, cycle, or walk your dog, it’s important to be extra careful during this season. Incidents of accidental shootings unfortunately do occur, so stick to marked trails, keep your dog on a leash, and make sure you wear reflective clothing at all times. While many hunts are not advertised, your local Mairie will typically know of any large hunts taking place in the area, so it’s worth checking with them and avoiding known hunting areas whenever possible.

You can read our two-part guide to La Chasse here and here.

Last Friday, September 8^th, marked the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, kicking off with a grand opening ceremony followed by the inaugural match between France and New Zealand. The event takes place over the next seven weeks with 48 matches between 20 nations, spread out over nine host cities – Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Paris (Saint-Denis), Nantes, Nice, Saint-Étienne, and Toulouse.

While tickets for the matches have long sold out, there is a resale section on the France Rugby World Cup website (here), so you might get lucky! Alternatively, each of the host cities has a dedicated “Rugby Village” with large screens and fan zones showing all of the matches.

To follow the Rugby World Cup and explore the host cities along the way, check out our dedicated Rugby Zone over on our sister site, France Today.

From applying for a French visa to enrolling in the French healthcare system or exchanging your driver’s licence – there’s a lot to do when you move to France. That’s why we’ve put together a special edition FrenchEntrée webinar: Your Moving to France To-Do List: Visas, Healthcare, Paperwork.

I’ll be joined by an expert advisor from relocation specialists Please Help to talk you through all the official steps you’ll need to take to set up your new life in France. There will be plenty of opportunities to put your questions directly to our expert, and you can also send them to me in advance at [email protected].

Join me next Thursday, 21st September, at 2:00pm GMT+1 (London time) 3:00pm (Paris time) – sign up here.