German Aviation Workers Ground Flights Amid Strike Action

German union, Verdi, called on security and ground handling staff at airports in Duesseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart and Baden-Baden to strike over pay and working conditions.

Cologne/Bonn Airport said that 144 flights were cancelled as a result, while Duesseldorf Airport said earlier in the week it was working on a “significantly reduced flight schedule”. It had originally scheduled 368 take-offs and landings for Friday.

“No take-offs and landings are possible all day due to the Verdi strike,”Stuttgart Airport said in a statement, calling on passengers not to travel to the airport.

Earlier this week, Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg airports cancelled all commercial flights due to strike action, the latest in a string of walkouts as the post-pandemic travel rebound fuels staffing problems and workers call for more pay due to high inflation.