Aeroplane passengers face more disruption tonight as French air traffic controllers start a 36-hour strike.

British Airways have cancelled 93 flights, and will operate just four of its scheduled UK to France services during the strike.

The cancelled services are those that BA operates between the UK and France but the airline also warned that some of its other flights could be affected by any necessary rerouting to avoid French airspace.

BA said it hoped to operate larger aircraft to and from France on Friday to help clear the backlog.

Low-cost airline Buzz will not operate some services to France, including Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles, Paris and Poitiers, although flights to La Rochelle may escape unaffected.

The airline said it would be re-booking flyers onto alternative flights within the next seven days.

The French action is in protest at the liberalisation of European airspace by the EU, which would eliminate national air traffic controls in favour of an "open sky" plan.

It was not certain how many workers would strike and how it would affect flights. However, some estimate that up to 85% of French internal flights and short-haul flights to France could be cancelled.

Any disruption will come as a further blow to an industry that is already suffering from a massive drop in passenger confidence following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.