On Monday, March 10, large-scale strikes began at Germany’s major airports and are expected to last for 24 hours.
The strikes have disrupted operations at Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin-Brandenburg, and Leipzig/Halle airports.
Frankfurt Airport warned of significant disruptions and urged passengers to “check with their airlines about flight statuses before arriving at the airport.” Public service workers, ground staff, and aviation security personnel walked off the job amid a wage dispute.
The Verdi union is demanding a collective wage agreement for nearly 2.5 million workers. The strikes come after the second round of salary negotiations failed.
The federal government and local municipalities have rejected Verdi’s demands, which include an 8% salary increase, higher bonuses, and three additional days off, calling them financially unfeasible. The strike aims to disrupt air travel across much of Germany.
According to the airport association ADV, over 3,400 flights were expected to be canceled, affecting 510,000 travelers. German airline Lufthansa announced that all its flights to and from the affected airports would be “delayed or canceled.”
