Hundreds of flights cancelled in Germany

Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg and Hannover airports said no commercial flights would take off after trade union Verdi triggered a walkout by its members over pay, media reported on Monday.

“Due to the warning strike by employees at the aviation security controls, no commercial departures will take place at BER today, March 13. Incoming flights may also be affected,” Berlin airport said on its website.

By 10 a.m. on Monday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, 184 flights had been canceled at Berlin-Brandenberg, affecting around 27,000 passengers, mainly at Ryanair (43), Lufthansa (22), Eurowings (20) and easyJet (18).

Meanwhile, Hamburg said all 123 departures had been canceled alongside at least 50 of the 121 planned arrivals.

Hamburg Airport said that “no takeoffs [will be] possible” on Monday, adding that some arriving flights would be possible during this period but could well be hit by heavy delays.

“Due to the Verdi strike from Sunday, 12 March – 10 p.m., to Monday, 13 March – 11 p.m.,  all departures will be canceled,” it told passengers. “There may also be flight cancellations and delays in arrivals. Affected passengers are asked to contact their airline.”

Germany’s airport association, the ADV, said around 45,000 passengers were directly affected due to the strikes.

Today’s strike comes amid a wave of strikes across Europe; in today’s case, the dispute is one regarding pay.

Verdi wants its members to receive a 10.5% pay increase to match inflation and help against the rising cost of living that has embattled workers across the continent.

Employers, however, have so far only offered a rise totaling 5% in two stages, on top of one-time payments of €2,500 (£2,210) per employee. Unions have rejected this as insufficient. The next round of talks is due to start on 27 March.

Last month saw hundreds of flights at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) and Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) canceled after the Verdi’s chairman warned the union was planning to “up the ante” to place further pressure on employers.

MNA