51.   Maillot condemned what he described as a lack of support for his plan which had been intended mainly to strengthen the French airline industry around coherent private interests.

52.   Meanwhile, militants of a Flemish ecologist movement released balloons which symbolised atomic bombs near the offices of the French airline Air France in Brussels.

53.   Orly is to be opened to British Airways from the end of June and French airlines are to have greater access to Heathrow.

54.   Orly, which is south of Paris, is a hub for French domestic airlines.

55.   Pilots of the French domestic airline Air France Europe called a strike for Thursday which the company said would cut flights by half.

56.   Security was upgraded three weeks ago after a wave of attacks this summer in France attributed to Algerian Islamic fundamentalists, the French airline said.

57.   The decision by the commission was seen as a significant step towards the opening of the French airline market, and the European market in general, to competition.

58.   The French airline industry is in turmoil with the onset of international competition.

59.   The French domestic airline Air France Europe resumed normal service Wednesday after striking ground staff forced the cancellation of many of its flights on Tuesday.

60.   The French domestic airline Air Inter said Sunday that it was cancelling all flights Tuesday except those to Corsica due to a strike by employees.