Chaos in Germany

Strike: Air traffic in Germany paralyzed

The German trade union Verdi has begun its warning strikes at 13 German airports on a larger scale than originally expected. Austria is also affected (symbolic image).

(Bild: MAX SLOVENCIK)

The Verdi strike caused chaos at Hamburg Airport on Sunday - completely unexpectedly, the strike began a day earlier than planned. The nationwide strike followed on Monday and paralyzed 13 airports. Travelers have to be prepared for massive cancellations. Austria will not be spared either.

The German trade union Verdi has begun its warning strikes at 13 German airports, bringing large parts of air traffic to a standstill. Since midnight, employees from the public services of airport operators, ground handling services and aviation security have been on strike in various wage disputes, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the union. The warning strike is to last 24 hours.

45 flights from Austria canceled
Austria is also severely affected: Vienna Airport announced on Sunday that 45 flights between Vienna and German airports will be canceled on Monday. Numerous flights between German airports and Graz, Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt have also been canceled.

No passengers will be able to board at the Frankfurt hub, and transit traffic is also almost certain to be affected, operator Fraport warned. The airport operator is calling on passengers not to come to the terminals.

Berlin: No chaos expected on site
At some airports, the strike action did not begin until the start of operations in the early hours of the morning. At Berlin Capital Airport, the strike started at 3.30 a.m. for the first shift - but there were only a few pickets on site, said union secretary Enrico Rümker in the morning. Take-offs and landings are not expected to take place. However, Rümker does not expect major chaos at BER, as there have been no major problems in recent years thanks to timely announcements in the event of strikes. Berlin Airport had already stated in advance: "All planned departures and arrivals will be affected by the strikes and can therefore not take place."

In Düsseldorf, too, the display board showed numerous canceled flights in the morning, reported a dpa reporter. However, there was no complete standstill - some travelers were able to check in and check their luggage. One couple was taken by bus to Münster Airport, which was not affected by the strike, in order to continue their flight from there.

No passenger aircraft will take off from Frankfurt Airport on Monday, the traffic management announced. Of 1,116 planned flight movements, 1,054 were canceled. Only a few arrivals were planned - some with passengers, some as empty flights.

The following airports are affected by the warning strikes: Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.

(Bild: AFP)

According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 3,400 flights will be canceled due to the strike in the public sector and ground handling services alone. Around 510,000 passengers will not be able to travel as planned. On an average day, there are around 6,000 flight movements and 3,000 overflights at German airports.

What travelers need to know:

• Berlin-Brandenburg: All flights have been canceled. Travelers should contact their airline or tour operator for information on refunds.
• Frankfurt: Passengers should not even come to the terminals - transit traffic also disrupted. 150,000 passengers and 1170 flights are affected.
• Munich: Of the approximately 820 flights planned, the airlines will probably cancel most of them - 170 are to take place. Special flight plans are being worked on.
• Hamburg: Spontaneous strike since Sunday. According to Hamburg Airport, travelers are not expected to come. 284 flights are affected. No early check-in possible.
• Düsseldorf/Cologne-Bonn: Delays, rescheduling and cancellations are also to be expected. No late night check-in possible.
• Stuttgart/Hanover/Bremen/Leipzig-Halle/Dortmund: Significant restrictions, only some flights possible.

Warning strikes even bigger than planned
Verdi announced on Saturday that the warning strikes in the public sector announced on Friday will be joined today by employees in aviation security. The areas affected include passenger, personnel, goods and freight control as well as service areas. The background to this is the ongoing wage dispute with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS); the next round of negotiations is scheduled for March 26 and 27.

The negotiations for the public sector will continue on Friday (March 14) in Potsdam. The warning strikes are also set to continue this week in other federal and municipal institutions.

The airports affected by the strikes are Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich. At Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports, only aviation security staff have been called out on strike.

Demands: More pay and additional days off
The unions' demands are clear: 8 percent more pay with at least 350 euros more per month, as well as three additional days off. However, the employers have not yet presented a concrete offer. This is causing "a great deal of resentment" and much discussion among employees, union secretary Rümker told dpa. "The expectation is already there that collective bargaining will now progress over the weekend."

In aviation security, Verdi is demanding, among other things, improved occupational health and safety, 30 days' vacation and additional leave for shift work as well as a free choice of doctor for the regular mandatory medical fitness examinations for employees. The employers organized in the BDLS criticized the extension of the warning strike, with chief negotiator Christian Huber describing it as "not expedient".

In the current collective bargaining round for the public sector, strikes have already taken place at the airports in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Munich, where numerous flights were canceled. According to ADV, 800,000 passengers have already been affected.