Abstract
The article deals with the concept of "extraordinary circumstances" in the light of strikes by air transport staff, as a reason for refusing compensation to be paid by air carriers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights. The problematics is summarized on the basis of the settled case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, which interprets the term "extraordinary circumstances" relatively restrictively, especially in the case of the so-called internal strike.
It also focuses on the issue of strikes by airport employees, wild strikes by air personnel or the distinction between legal and illegal strikes.