October 8, 2026 — Update to our October 7 story. The CGT union called a 24-hour strike on Thursday at TotalEnergies refineries and service stations. SNCF has confirmed that its Normandy lines out of Paris are disrupted on both Friday and Saturday. A fourth day of student protests closed several Paris metro stations. The aircrew strike notice for October 17–21 is unchanged.
Fuel: TotalEnergies strike, October 8
- Who and why: The CGT, over jobs and pay.
- Where: The union says fuel shipments were blocked on Thursday morning at the Normandy refinery near Le Havre, at Donges and at the La Mède site.
- Disputed scale: The CGT claims more than half of on-duty staff at those sites walked out. TotalEnergies says under 2% of refinery staff took part and that all refineries and depots are operating.
- Motorway stations: The union says 27 of about 180 stations run by a TotalEnergies subsidiary closed. The company says 11.
- Duration: 24 hours. No extension had been reported.
- Background: A trade site reported on October 7 that more than 1,300 French stations were already short of at least one fuel, mainly in the east, because of low river levels.
Normandy trains, October 9 and 10
- Both days, same plan: SNCF’s regional page now covers Friday and Saturday and calls it a local labour action.
- Disrupted: Paris–Rouen–Le Havre, Paris–Caen–Cherbourg, Paris–Lisieux–Trouville/Deauville, Paris–Vernon–Rouen and Paris–Évreux–Serquigny.
- Normal: Paris–Granville, Rouen–Dieppe, Rouen–Caen, Caen–Rennes and Caen–Le Mans–Tours.
- Reported cause: A knife attack on a conductor on the Paris–Rouen line on October 2. This comes from a summary of a regional TV report that we could not open. The union behind the notice is TBA.
- Saturday’s cancelled trains: Not yet listed. SNCF confirms lists at 5 pm the evening before.
Protests
- Thursday, October 8: A fourth student action day, backed by teacher unions and the CGT. The Paris rally gathered at 3 pm at Place de la Bastille.
- Metro: From noon, trains skipped Jacques Bonsergent, Barbès-Rochechouart and La Chapelle. Entrances at Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and Argentine were closed at police request. No strike affected the metro or RER.
- US Embassy alert: Travel Weekly reports that the embassy in Paris issued a security alert on October 5 telling Americans to avoid protest sites and expect reduced transit and road closures this week. France remains at Level 2.
- Turnout and clashes on Thursday: Not yet reported when we checked (TBA).
Dates ahead
| Date | Action | Transport impact |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 9–10 | SNCF Normandy strike | Five Paris–Normandy lines disrupted |
| Oct 9–16 | Air Corsica pilots (notice not lifted as of Oct 7) | Cancellation list TBA |
| Oct 17 (12:01 am) – Oct 21 (11:59 pm) | Pilots and cabin crew, French airlines | Cancellation lists TBA; no change |
| Thu, Nov 5 | National strike and protest day | Rail, Paris transit and air traffic control notices TBA |
What it means for airline travelers
- Renting a car? Fill up when you can, especially in eastern France and on motorways. Do not leave the tank low before an airport return.
- Normandy this weekend: Check your train from 5 pm the day before. Paris–Granville trains are listed as normal.
- Flying to Corsica from Friday? Check Air Corsica for cancellations before you go to the airport.
- October 17–21: Still a risk for standby travel on French airlines. No cancellation lists yet.
- In Paris: Stay away from demonstrations and expect stations near them to close with little notice. Register with STEP (US) or Registration of Canadians Abroad.
Sources
- Le JDD: Crise des carburants : la CGT appelle à la grève dans plusieurs raffineries de TotalEnergies
- Head Topics / actu.fr: Grève chez TotalEnergies : le carburant bloqué dans plusieurs raffineries, une douzaine de stations impactées en France
- MobilityEnergy: La grève chez TotalEnergies pourrait perturber l’approvisionnement en carburant en France
- SNCF TER Normandie: Info trafic – grève
- Titrespresse: Agression au couteau d’un contrôleur : les agents normands de la SNCF en grève
- Sortiraparis: Student protest in Paris on Oct. 8: rally, route, closed metro
- Travel Weekly: U.S. issues security alert for France due to violent protests
- Corse Net Infos: Turbulences à Air Corsica : à deux jours de la grève, la direction appelle les pilotes à lever leur préavis
- Infostourisme: Grève 17 octobre 2026 : quels vols seront perturbés ?
Get NonRev Travel News by email
A weekly recap newsletter, sent out every Sunday, with the airline, airport, cruise and travel-warning news that matters to airline employees and retirees. Free.
ADVERTISEMENT
