Budget airline Ryanair has branded the French aviation unions "selfish" following the start of a three-day strike by the country's air traffic controllers.

Hundreds of passengers flying with easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways will face flight cancellations and delays up until Tuesday as a result of the French industrial action in a move that Ryanair deemed "unwarranted" and "grossly unfair".

Passengers travelling from Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton Airport have already been hit by rescheduling after the strike began on Sunday with officials at Gatwick saying that passengers had experienced delays averaging more than 50 minutes.