Air France ground staff on strike at Orly airport

PARIS Dec 20 (Reuters) - Around 50 domestic flights were cancelled at Orly airport south of Paris on Thursday, as Air France (AIRF.PA) ground staff staged a strike over pay and conditions, the airline said.

Air France expected to operate 80 percent of its flights from Orly on Friday, a spokesman said, adding the strike had not affected the Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris.

Trade unions had called for a 24-hour strike at Orly but a union source said workers could vote for an extension of the strike on Friday.

Air France has been hit by a number of protests since the summer. The most serious, by cabin crew, disrupted flights for several days during school holidays in October. (Reporting by Gerard Bon; Editing by David Holmes)