Many German airports were already deserted on Thursday night due to a nationwide strike launched by the Verdi union, which has asked civil servants, security and ground staff at seven airports that handle nearly two-thirds of Germany’s passenger traffic to stay off the job on Friday.
The strike had already begun in Hamburg and Hannover in northern Germany by 10 p.m. on Thursday night. Operations were then to be suspended in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen and Dortmund.
Emergency measures are in place for military and medical operations, Verdi said. Aid deliveries to Turkey and special flights for the Munich Security Conference will be made possible, the union added.
Flights from Brussels to Berlin maintained, others cancelled
About 300,000 passengers are expected to be affected by the 2,340 threatened flight cancellations, according to estimates by airport association ADV.
Germany’s biggest airline, Lufthansa, had already had to cancel about 1,300 routes after a computer glitch on Wednesday.
The strikes, both in the public service and at airports, are aimed at exerting pressure ahead of planned collective bargaining. The unions want a pay rise in the face of soaring inflation.
In Belgium, around 30 flights operated by Lufthansa or Brussels Airlines to and from Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich have been cancelled at Brussels Airport. However, flights to and from Berlin will be maintained.
