Mass Flight Cancellations as German Airport Workers Stage Nationwide Strike

By Evans Momodu
Published 14:40 UK GMT, Monday March 24, 2025



A one-day strike by workers at 13 major German airports, including the key hubs of Frankfurt and Munich, has led to the cancellation of most scheduled flights on Monday. The walkout, which began at midnight, involves public-sector employees, ground staff, and security personnel.

At Frankfurt Airport, 1,054 out of 1,116 scheduled flights were cancelled, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Berlin Airport saw all regular arrivals and departures cancelled, while Hamburg Airport reported that no departures would be possible.

Cologne/Bonn Airport suspended regular passenger service, and Munich Airport warned of a significantly reduced flight schedule.

The strike, organised by the Verdi service workers union, has affected key airports including Hamburg, Bremen, Hannover, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Stuttgart, and Munich. Additionally, only security workers were called to strike at the Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports.

The strike, classified as a “warning strike”, is a common negotiation tactic in German wage disputes. It is tied to two separate labor conflicts:

1. A dispute over pay and working conditions for airport security personnel
2. Ongoing wage negotiations for employees of federal and municipal governments

Previous strikes have already disrupted operations at Cologne/Bonn, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, and Munich airports. The next round of negotiations for federal and municipal government employees is set to resume on Friday, while talks for airport security workers are scheduled to continue on March 26.

The Verdi union announced the strike on Friday, but at Hamburg Airport, a last-minute walkout on Sunday was added to extend the impact into Monday.
Source: CNN
Image: YouTube