Hundreds of flights have been canceled across Germany as airport workers stage a nationwide strike over pay, causing major disruption for air travelers.
The industrial action, organized by the trade union Verdi, began unexpectedly on Sunday at Hamburg Airport before expanding to airports across the country.
Passengers at major hubs, including Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin, have been advised not to travel to airports due to severe operational disruptions.
Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest airport, warned that passengers would be unable to board flights and that transfers would “almost certainly” be affected.
Verdi, which represents public sector and transport workers, remains in an ongoing dispute over wages and working conditions.
German media reports indicate that thousands of flights could be canceled throughout the day, affecting travel plans for more than 500,000 passengers.
The Lufthansa Group, whose main hub is in Frankfurt, confirmed “delays and extensive cancellations” across all its airlines.
Munich Airport also cautioned travelers about a “greatly reduced flight schedule,” impacting flights operated by Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, and Swiss Air.
Katja Bromm, a spokeswoman for Hamburg Airport, where all 143 scheduled departures on Monday had already been canceled, criticized Verdi for calling a strike without notice at the start of the holiday season.
She described Sunday’s walkouts as “excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travelers who have nothing to do with the disputes.”
A Verdi spokesperson acknowledged that the strike would inconvenience many passengers but argued that the disruption was necessary to secure a better pay offer.
Lars Stubbe, Verdi’s representative in Hamburg, told, “The workers are aware that disruptions do happen, and they are uncomfortable with that, but in any case, it is the employer that caused these strikes because they haven’t put a negotiable offer on the table.”
Many of Frankfurt Airport’s 1,770 scheduled flights have already been canceled, while the majority of Munich’s 820 flights are also expected to be affected.
Frankfurt Airport
Hundreds more cancellations are anticipated at Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Berlin airports.
According to public broadcaster NDR, many passengers who had already checked in their luggage were struggling to retrieve it due to the disruption.
ADV, an association representing major German airports, stated that the strike had “almost completely paralyzed air traffic.”
Verdi’s demands include an 8% pay increase—or at least €350 (£294) more per month—for all workers, along with three additional days of holiday, plus one extra day for union members.
Stubbe explained that while airport wages range from €13 to €25 per hour, security workers receive fewer annual leave days compared to other roles.
“There have been two rounds of negotiations in which the employers have not yet offered one penny,” he said.
“It is quite usual that we don’t get any offers in the first round, but now even in the second round, the employers have basically said, ‘No, we’re not going to give you an offer because we don’t have any money.’”
BDLS, the organization responsible for setting security workers’ pay, responded in a statement: “The damage caused by this strike is almost exclusively to companies that are not at the negotiating table.”
It also urged the government to ban short-notice strikes, arguing that air transport is “essential for Germany as a business location” and “must not be exploited” in labor disputes.
Ralph Beisel, ADV’s general manager, said the strike was having a ripple effect on European and global air travel, causing missed connections due to a “domino effect.”
He called for reforms to Germany’s strike laws for critical infrastructure.
The so-called “warning strike,” a common tactic in German labor negotiations, involves two separate pay disputes: one concerning airport security workers and another regarding pay for federal and municipal government employees.
Verdi has also organized strikes in waste collection across several German cities, including Berlin, Essen, and Kiel, where garbage bins have remained unemptied since last week.
Pay negotiations for government workers are set to resume on Friday in Potsdam, while the next round of talks for airport security staff is scheduled for March 26.
Niklas Benrath, a representative from the VKA, which regulates pay and conditions for municipal workers, criticized the strikes, arguing that Verdi’s demands would cost nearly €15 billion.
“With a total municipal debt of around €160 billion, these demands are not financially viable,” he added.
