French trade unions said they would recommend today that air traffic controllers call off a strike that has hit Paris airports after public authorities agreed to review a reorganisation plan.
Negotiators for unions and civil aviation authorities reached a deal late yesterday which personnel would no longer be required to relocate from Orly airport south of Paris to Charles de Gaulle (Roissy) airport, northeast of the capital.
"In theory [the accord] should end the disruption for the DGAC [national civil aviation agency]," Mr Christian Chardon of the CFDT union told reporters after talks at the Transport Ministry.
Striking air traffic controllers at Orly were due to vote on the accord at a meeting scheduled for this morning. The three-day strike has forced many flight cancellations and delays for passengers at both Orly and Charles de Gaulle.
About 60 per cent of flights were cancelled yesterday at Orly, which serves mainly domestic travellers, while Charles de Gaulle, the main international hub, was less badly affected.
The government said the reorganisation - which would have meant handing Charles de Gaulle control of all flight approaches to Paris - was needed to ensure air safety, and it had vowed to stand firm against the protest.
The industrial action is the latest in a series of strikes before regional elections next month that are seen as a mid-term test of the government's performance.