Egypt Daily News – Germany experienced a widespread airports staff strike on Monday, March 10, causing severe disruptions to air travel across the country.
The strike, organized by the Verdi trade union, affected 13 major airports, including Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg, leading to the cancellation of most flights and impacting more than half a million passengers.
The strike began at midnight on Monday and is set to last for 24 hours, involving public sector airport employees, ground services staff, and security teams.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest, announced that all departing passenger flights would be halted for the entire day, warning of possible delays and cancellations extending into Tuesday.
Out of 1,116 scheduled flights for arrival and departure, 1,050 flights have already been canceled, with expectations that the number will rise.
At Berlin Airport, all regular departing and arriving flights were canceled, while Hamburg Airport announced that no departures would take place.
Cologne/Bonn Airport also suspended regular passenger services, and Munich Airport advised travelers to expect a “significantly reduced flight schedule.”
Affected Airports
The strike targeted the airports of Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Stuttgart, and Munich.
At the smaller airports of Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, the strike was limited to security workers only.
Hamburg Airport had already experienced another strike on Sunday, March 9, leading to the cancellation of nearly 300 flights. The union justified this move as necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the strike.
This “warning strike” is part of common wage negotiation tactics in Germany.
The strike is linked to two separate disputes: one concerning negotiations for a new contract on wages and working conditions for airport security workers, and another related to the broader dispute over the wages of federal and municipal government employees.
The latest dispute has already led to previous strikes at the airports of Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Munich, reflecting growing tensions between unions and employers over demands for better wages and working conditions.
