Updated 11.55am.

KM Malta Airlines early on Wednesday cancelled its flights on Thursday between Malta and Paris because of a planned air controllers' strike, but French trade unions announced later in the day that the strike plans had been shelved. 

The airline said it had cancelled KM478/KM479 between Malta and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and KM466/KM467 between Malta and Paris Orly.

Customers booked on those flights will be able to either rebook an alternative flight by contacting the KM Malta Airlines Customer Service Centre on 00 356 2135 6000 or receive a full ticket refund by filling an online form.

For any flights booked through a travel agent, customers should contact their travel agent who can submit a refund request on their behalf.

Flights KM454/455 between Malta and Lyon will continue to operate as planned but are expected to incur an approximate 1 hour 20 min delay. 

Just before lunchtime France's main air traffic controllers' union said  it had cancelled its call for a one-day strike after reaching a pay deal with the civil aviation authority.

The planned stoppage would have caused most flights at the two main Paris airports to be cancelled, sparking chaos.

But this scenario appeared to have been averted after a last-minute agreement between the SNCTA union and the DGAC civil aviation authority about salary increases and other measures in a planned overhaul of France's air traffic control systems.

However, the DGAC did not confirm the union statement, and neither side released details of the reported agreement.

It was not immediately clear whether KM Malta Airlines would operate its flights. French authorities said dozens of flights had been cancelled before the strike was called off.