French Audit Blames DGAC Failures for Rising Flight Delays and Calls for Structural Reform

Overview

• The Cour des comptes published a report in early July 2026 that finds the Direction générale de l'aviation civile has seen falling operational performance since the post‑Covid recovery and now ranks among the worst air navigation operators in Europe.
• Auditors say rising payroll costs from a 2023–2027 social protocol that gave air traffic controllers about a 16% pay rise were not tied to better performance and that recorded effective working hours (about 1,420/year) remain well below peer norms.
• The report links rigid work rules, frequent strikes and lax presence practices to higher delays and cancellations, citing 6.6 million minutes of delay in 2025 and an estimated €800 million cost to airlines.
• It proposes 12 corrective actions including guaranteeing a 65% minimum of scheduled traffic during strikes, rolling out biometric badge systems (about 80% deployed, target 100% by year‑end), tightening presence controls and studying a change of the DGAC/DSNA legal status.
• The DGAC says early 2026 has seen improvement with a reported 35% drop in delays versus 2025 but faces urgent pressure over a looming wave of retirements, recruitment shortfalls and the political risk that reforms will provoke strong union opposition and further disruption.