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Air Corsica pilots' strike, 9 to 12 October 2026: your rights

Published: October 30, 2026 · Last updated: October 30, 2026

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For the first time in its history, Air Corsica was disrupted by a strike of its pilots, from 9 to 12 October 2026; on the first day, about a quarter of its flights were cancelled. Because the strike was by the airline's own staff, passengers whose flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or arrived 3 hours or more late, are as a rule owed €250 each, on top of a refund or another flight.

Airkarma handles claims under EU Regulation 261/2004: flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into those countries on a European airline. Flights departing from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.

What happened

The SNPL and SPAC unions, which represent Air Corsica's 140 pilots, had filed a strike notice for 9 to 16 October to win pay rises after a two-year pay freeze. On Friday 9 October, 9 of the 33 departures from Corsica's airports (Ajaccio, Bastia, Figari and Calvi) and 8 arrivals were cancelled, according to AFP; the airline chartered larger aircraft to combine some flights. An agreement was reached during the night of 11 to 12 October, with mediation by the president of Corsica's executive council, and flights returned to normal on 13 October.

Why compensation is owed

A strike by an airline's own staff over their working conditions is not an extraordinary circumstance (Court of Justice of the European Union, Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, 2021). Air Corsica therefore cannot rely on it to refuse compensation: it is as a rule owed for every flight cancelled because of the strike less than 14 days before departure, and for every flight that arrived 3 hours or more late.

€250 per passenger

All Air Corsica flights between Corsica and the mainland are under 1,500 km, such as Ajaccio to Paris-Orly (about 910 km), Bastia to Nice (about 220 km) or Ajaccio to Marseille (about 340 km), so compensation is €250 per passenger, on top of a refund or another flight. It is not owed if Air Corsica, telling you less than 7 days ahead, offered a replacement flight leaving no more than 1 hour earlier and arriving less than 2 hours later than planned.

And the grounded ATRs

Since late August 2026, five of Air Corsica's seven ATR 72-600s have been grounded after persistent smells in the cockpit, and the airline has chartered aircraft from other airlines to fly its schedule. A technical problem is as a rule not an extraordinary circumstance (Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07, 2008), so the cancellations and delays of 3 hours or more it caused generally give a right to compensation too.

Your other rights

Whatever the cause, Air Corsica had to offer you a full refund within 7 days or another flight to your destination, and while you waited, meals and, if needed, a hotel. If you paid for a meal, a hotel or another ticket yourself, keep the receipts: those costs are owed on top of compensation.

How to claim

  • Find your booking and the email or text message telling you of the cancellation or delay, with its date.
  • Note your scheduled and actual arrival times.
  • Gather your receipts.
  • Claim from Air Corsica, or check your flight with us: it takes two minutes and costs nothing unless we win.

The regulation sets no time limit of its own: the limitation period is that of the country whose courts hear the claim (Court of Justice, Moré, C-139/11, 2012).

Frequently asked questions

My Air Corsica flight on 10 October was cancelled. Am I owed compensation?

As a rule yes: €250 per passenger, because Air Corsica's own pilots were striking and the cancellation was announced less than 14 days before departure. You are owed a refund or another flight in every case.

My flight was operated with another airline's aircraft. Who do I claim from?

Air Corsica: it operated the flight under its own name and flight numbers, even with an aircraft and crew hired from another airline.

How long do I have to claim?

The regulation sets no time limit: the limitation period is that of the country where the claim is brought. Do not wait, though: evidence is easiest to gather now.

Read more

Official sources

The texts this page is based on:

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