Strikes disrupt air travel across major German airports

Strikes began at 11 major German airports early Monday morning, affecting public service workers, ground staff, and aviation security personnel.

The walkouts, which started just after midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), are the result of ongoing wage disputes and have been called by the verdi trade union.

The strike is set to last for 24 hours.

In addition to the airport strikes, further action is expected this week at federal government and local authority-operated facilities, according to a verdi spokesperson.

The main purpose of the strike is to disrupt air transport across Germany, with the ADV airport association predicting over 3,400 flight cancellations and an estimated 510,000 passengers unable to board as scheduled.

The strike is part of a larger public sector walkout planned since Friday, and it will also involve employees from the aviation security sector, including those working in passenger and freight control, as well as personnel and service areas.

The next round of wage talks is set to take place on Friday in Potsdam, near Berlin, and a third round of negotiations is scheduled for March 26 and 27.

Verdi’s demand is for an 8% pay increase, with a minimum of 350 euros (approximately 380 dollars) more per month, along with an additional three days of leave.

The strike affects around 2.5 million workers in public service and aviation.

However, employers have yet to present a counteroffer.

At major hubs like Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, and Cologne/Bonn, strike action has already begun, leading to numerous flight cancellations and severe disruptions.

Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest airport, is particularly affected, with no passengers allowed to board and major transit flights likely to be impacted.

The airport operator, Fraport, has advised passengers to avoid traveling to terminals, as 1,170 departures with about 150,000 passengers were initially scheduled for Monday.

ALSO READ : Germany can push through hike in defence spending

The strike also targets airports in Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin-Brandenburg, and Leipzig-Halle.

Meanwhile, at Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports, only aviation security workers are participating in the action.

Lufthansa has announced that it is working on a replacement flight schedule to mitigate the disruption.

Joachim Lang, head of the BDL air transport association, criticized the strikes, calling them “disproportionate” and accusing the union of causing widespread disruption in the transport sector before negotiations have even begun.

He argued that the strike was unfairly targeting airports and airlines, as well as other businesses in the travel sector, which are not parties to the ongoing collective bargaining conflict.

Lang also urged for new regulations to be introduced to govern strikes in critical infrastructure.