The EU should stop a French air traffic control (ATC) strike from holding tourists "to ransom", Ryanair's director of operations has said.

Ryanair had to cancel fights due to a strike on French pension reforms.

Flights simply using French airspace had to be cancelled, while domestic French flights continued as normal.

French train and air services are due to be disrupted by the strike, which lasts until 6am tomorrow.

Ryanair's Neal McMahon said: "We have had to cancel a small number of our 2,500 daily flights as a result of yet another pointless French ATC strike, the third already this year.

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"It is inexplicable that French air traffic control can once again hold European passengers and visitors to ransom. The European Commission must step in and to preserve the free movement of people by protecting overflights," he added.

The strike is the third since the French government presented plans last month to raise the pension age by two years to 64, with unions representing energy sector workers, teachers, civil servants as well as rail and air traffic staff taking part.

More than 1.2 million people took part in the protests during the last strike day a week ago.