French Civil Aviation authorities announced the cancellation of 1,800 flights on Tuesday throughout the country as air traffic controllers started a three-day strike. The Director General of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to reduce their flights by 50 percent for three days at eight airports including Paris's Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Beauvais airports. Local media said flights cancellations were also reported in major cities like Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse and Bordeaux. The three-day strike was called by France's air-traffic controllers to protest against EU plans to create a single European airspace. The controllers say the Single European Sky project will affect public safety and their working conditions. They are expected to be joined by air workers in other countries in the Europe-wide protest.