Swiss flights also canceled Warning strikes have begun at 13 German airports

Air travelers have to be brave: Thousands of flights will be canceled this Monday due to a warning strike by the Verdi union.

DPA

10.03.2025, 06:05

10.03.2025, 11:38

dpa

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

The warning strikes in other federal and local government institutions are also set to continue this week. The next round of negotiations for the public sector is planned for this Friday (March 14) in Potsdam.

Warning strikes even bigger than planned

The warning strikes in the public sector that have been planned since Friday are to be joined today by employees in aviation security, as Verdi announced on Saturday. These employees work in passenger control, personnel, goods and freight control as well as in service areas. A new collective agreement for them is currently being negotiated with the employers in the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS). The next round of negotiations is scheduled for March 26 and 27.

How many flights will be canceled?

Air traffic will come to a standstill in large parts of Germany: According to an initial estimate by the airport association ADV, more than 3,400 flights are expected to be canceled due to the walkout in the public sector and ground handling services alone , and around 510,000 passengers will not be able to make their journeys as planned.

According to German air traffic control, there are currently around 6000 flight movements at German airports on an average day. In addition, there are around 3000 overflights in German airspace.

Flights to and from Switzerland also affected

Passengers in Switzerland are also affected. "On the day of the strike (March 10), all Lufthansa Group Airlines flights to and from the affected airports will be delayed and extensively canceled," says the Swiss website. Lufthansa Group Airlines would offer "all guests whose flights are canceled due to the Verdi strike a free rebooking to a flight at another time or alternatively the free cancellation of the ticket", it continues. And: "Guests should check the status of their flight via SWISS.com in good time before they travel to the airport.

Passengers will not be able to board at the Frankfurt hub, and transit traffic will almost certainly also be affected, warned the operator Fraport. A total of 1170 take-offs and landings with around 150,000 passengers were planned for Monday. Full flight operations would be suspended and only an emergency service would be maintained. The airport operator is calling on passengers not to come to the terminals. According to a spokesperson, Lufthansa is working on a replacement flight plan.

Union demands

In the collective bargaining negotiations, the union is demanding, among other things, an eight percent wage increase, but at least 350 euros more per month, as well as three additional days off. The employers have not yet presented a concrete offer.

In aviation security, Verdi is demanding, among other things, an improvement in occupational health and safety, 30 days' vacation and additional vacations 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: "The strike measures now planned at 13 airports are not effective and merely underline the excessiveness on the part of the unions, which we are once again confronted with in this round of negotiations," said BDLS chief negotiator Christian Huber.

At some airports, the actions will only begin with the start of operations in the early hours of the morning. The strikers in Frankfurt are to meet for a rally in the morning.

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

Strikes disproportionate?

The strikes were disproportionate, said Joachim Lang, Managing Director of the German Air Transport Association (BDL). "An entire transport sector is being shut down across the board here, even though airports and airlines, as well as restaurants, retailers and hotels, are not partners in collective bargaining. The collective bargaining conflict is thus being carried out solely on the backs of passengers, even before the next round of negotiations is due." Lang calls for new strike rules in the critical infrastructure sector.