French airports face disruption as pilots continue strike

Paris: French airports faced more weekend disruption during the weekend after Air France pilots rejected a proposal on Saturday to break off a four-day strike.

The airline cut up to a third of long-haul flights and half its other services, causing severe airport disruption on the second day of a strike against proposed retirement age reforms.

There had been hopes of a breakthrough after the government offered to guarantee the right to retire at 60 in talks with unions, but pilots voted against ending the strike, unions said.

The strike was called over proposals to allow pilots to retire at 65 rather than the current final retirement age of 60, a measure being discussed in parliament as part of wider social security reforms.