Hundreds of Flights Cancelled as German Airports Workers Embark On Strikes Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Germany as airport workers stage a nationwide strike over pay, posing a major disturbance for air travellers.
The industrial action, led by the trade union Verdi, commenced unexpectedly on Sunday at Hamburg Airport, before expanding to a nationwide strike.
Passengers at Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and other major hubs have been urged not to travel to airports, with operations severely disrupted. Frankfurt, Germany's busiest airport, revealed passengers would be unable to board flights and transfer would "almost certainly" be affected.
Verdi, which represents public sector and transport workers, is in an ongoing challenge over wages and working conditions.
German media declares thousands of flights could be cancelled across the day, disrupting travel for more than 500,000 passengers.
The Lufthansa group, whose main hub is in Frankfurt, substantiated "delays and extensive cancellations" across all its airlines.
Meanwhile, Munich Airport counseled of a "greatly reduced flight schedule". This contains flights by Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air.
Katja Bromm, spokeswoman for Hamburg Airport, where all 143 departures scheduled on Monday have already been cancelled, reported Verdi was "dishonourable" to summon a strike without notice at the start of the holiday season.
She disclosed that Sunday's walkouts were "excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travellers who have nothing to do with the disputes".
A spokesman for Verdi accepted that the strike would affect many, still reported the travel hoo-ha was necessary to extracting a better pay offer.
Lars Stubbe, the union's Hamburg representative, told newsmen: "The workers are aware that disruptions do occur, and they are uncomfortable with that, however in some case, it is the employer that caused these strikes because they haven't put a negotiable offer on the table."
Many of Frankfurt Airport's 1,770 scheduled flights have already been cancelled, while the majority of Munich's 820 flights are expected to be cancelled.
Hundreds more cancellations are anticipated across Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Cologne and Berlin.
Many passengers had already checked in their luggage and were having problems getting it bounced back, according to public broadcaster NDR.
ADV, which represents major German airports, disclosed the strike had "almost collectively paralysed air traffic".
Verdi's demands contain a 8% pay rise, or at least €350 (£294) more per month, for all workers - and three additional days of holiday, plus one extra day for union members.
Stubbe stated that while airport wages range were above minimum wage, ranging from €13-€25 per hour, workers in polyglot roles - egregiously security staff - received less annual leave than others.
"There have been two rounds of negotiations in which the employers have not at all events offered one penny," he affixed.
"It is quite usual that we don't get a few offers in the leading round, although now even in the second round, the employers have basically disclosed, 'No, we're not going to give you an offer because we don't have more or less money'."
BDLS, the body which sets security workers' pay, revealed in a statement: "The damage caused by this strike is almost exclusively to companies that are not at the negotiating table."
It summoned on the government to outlaw short-notice strikes, interposing that air transport was "essential for Germany as the business location" which "must not be exploited" in collective pay challenges.
Ralph Beisel, ADV's general manager, disclosed the strike was having an impact on European and global air traffic, leading to missed connections due to a "domino effect".
He summoned for amends to German strike laws concerning "critical" infrastructure.
The so-called "warning strike", an established tactic in German wage negotiations, concerns two detach pay challenges: one relating to airport security workers, and a broader disagreement over pay for federal and municipal government employees.
Verdi has furthermore summoned for strikes in waste collection across several German cities, containing Berlin, Essen and Kiel, where bins have lost unemptied since previous week.
Pay talks for government workers are set to restart on Friday in Potsdam, while the next round of talks for airport security staff is scheduled to commence on 26 March.
Niklas Benrath, of the VKA, which organizes pay and conditions for municipal workers, further rebuked the strikes, declaring Verdi's demands would cost nearly €15bn.
"With a total municipal debt of around €160bn, these demands are not financially viable," he subjoined.
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Tag: Hundreds of Flights Cancelled as German Airports Workers Embark On Strikes
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Published 3/11/2025