A massive strike paralyzed 13 airports in Germany: canceled flights affected half a million travelers

Strikes have nearly halted operations at airports across Germany - a total of 13, as service workers, ground staff, and aviation security staged a 24-hour strike, reports UNN citing DW.

Details

Operations at Germany's busiest airport, Frankfurt, were disrupted, as were those in Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin-Brandenburg, and Leipzig-Halle.

According to AP, the strike by the service workers' union Verdi targeted the airports of Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Stuttgart, and Munich. At smaller airports in Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, only security staff were withdrawn.

At Frankfurt airport, 1054 out of 1116 scheduled takeoffs and landings were canceled, reported the German news agency dpa citing airport management.

All regular departures and arrivals at Berlin airport were canceled, and Hamburg airport stated that departures were impossible.

Cologne/Bonn airport announced that there were no regular passenger services, while Munich airport advised travelers to expect a "significantly reduced flight schedule."

According to the airport association ADV, the strikes are expected to affect around 510,000 travelers.

German airline group Lufthansa stated that there would be "delays and significant cancellations" of all flights to and from the airports affected by the strike.

Hamburg was the first to be affected by the strikes, with nearly all flights to and from the airport canceled on Sunday.

The airport operator stated that workers announced the strike "without prior notice."

A Verdi spokesperson told DW that it was "necessary to truly feel the impact of the strike."

It was reported that several passengers faced issues due to the sudden halt.

According to public broadcaster NDR, many had already checked in their luggage and faced problems retrieving it.

What the strikers are demanding

The Verdi union is demanding a collective bargaining agreement on wages for nearly 2.5 million public sector workers. The strikes on Monday occurred after the second round of salary negotiations failed.

The federal government and local municipalities stated that Verdi's proposals, including an 8% pay increase, higher bonuses, and three additional days off, are financially unfeasible.

New strikes are expected to continue this week at institutions managed by the federal government and local authorities, reports dpa citing a Verdi representative.

The next round of salary negotiations was scheduled for Friday in Potsdam near the capital Berlin.