A strike by security workers at several airports in Germany has led to multiple flights being cancelled or delayed.
The industry action began on February 1, 2024, and will last throughout the day with a raft of airlines warning customers that flights in and out of Germany could be affected.
The German airport industry group ADV advised that 1,100 flights have been cancelled or delayed, affecting an estimated 200,000 passengers.
Security staff have walked out at Hamburg Airport (HAM), Bremen Airport (BRE), Hanover Airport (HAJ), Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), Stuttgart Airport (STR), Dresden Airport (DRS) Düsseldorf Airport (DUS) Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ) and Germany’s main international hub, Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
According to the union Verdi, which represents around 25,000 industry employees, three rounds of negotiations on increased pay for security staff have so far failed.
Verdi is looking for its members to receive an increase of around $3 an hour and a more generous bonus structure.
The demand is intended to compensate for the loss of purchasing power of employees due to inflation.
Security staff members who work in passenger screening, goods screening and cargo screening have all taken part in the industrial action, although workers at Munich International Airport (MUC) and Nuremberg Airport (NUE) are still working due to being affiliated with a different union.
Lufthansa advised customers who were scheduled to start their flight on February 1, 2024, from FRA, HAM, BRE, BER, LEJ, DUS, CGN, HAJ, STR and DRS to not attend the airport.
SAS was also warning its passengers about disruptions to flights leaving Germany and SWISS was asking its customers to check their flight status before attending the airport.
