Strike at Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Hanover and Stuttgart airports. Security personnel walked out on March 22. There were hundreds of failures.
Cologne/Bonn/Düsseldorf – There is hardly any peace at the airports in North Rhine-Westphalia at the moment. After the airport strike on March 14, the passenger control staff went down their work again on Tuesday (March 22) at both Cologne/Bonn Airport and Düsseldorf Airport. The Verdi union had called for this because of the ongoing collective bargaining. In addition to the NRW locations, other major cities throughout Germany are also affected.
Airport strike in Düsseldorf: Restrictions also on March 23
Even after the end of the strike, there will be effects on air traffic tomorrow, Wednesday, the airport continues. “All passengers taking off from Düsseldorf tomorrow, Wednesday, are therefore urgently recommended to find out about the current status of their flight from the airline or tour operator before they start their journey. In addition, travelers can also find information on the airport’s homepage (dus.com).”
Despite everything, 130 flights were able to take place in Düsseldorf on March 22, for example, as the airport reports. This corresponds to about half of regular flight operations. “When operations began, passengers only had to be prepared for isolated delays in passenger checks,” it continues, the situation at the airport was described as relaxed throughout. The Verdi services union had called on its members at Düsseldorf Airport to walk out between 3:00 a.m. and midnight.
Airport strike in Germany: These airports are affected
- Cologne/Bonn Airport
- Dusseldorf Airport
- airport Frankfurt
- Berlin Airport (BER)
- Bremen Airport
- Hamburg Airport
- Hanover Airport
- Stuttgart Airport
At Frankfurt Airport, passengers will again not be able to board, as the operating company Fraport announced. Only transit travelers should be processed.
Strike: Which flights are canceled in Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn?
- What passengers need to know: Failures due to a strike at Düsseldorf Airport
- What passengers need to know: Cancellations due to a strike at Cologne/Bonn Airport
Strike Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf Airport: When is the strike? Who is affected?
- Was? Air passenger screening staff are walking out to strike for higher wages.
- Wo? Cologne/Bonn Airport and Dusseldorf Airport
- When? Tuesday, March 22, 2022: 0 a.m. to midnight in Cologne and 3 a.m. to midnight in Düsseldorf
The strike in Cologne/Bonn began at midnight, in Düsseldorf a little later at 3 a.m. This will run until midnight at both airports. At Cologne/Bonn Airport, “significant disruptions to flight operations and extensive flight cancellations are to be expected,” said a spokesman on Monday afternoon. A total of 73 (50 takeoffs, 23 landings) out of 123 flights were canceled, a spokesman said on Tuesday morning. According to the airport, passenger control in the terminal is completely closed in the morning.
Düsseldorf Airport is also experiencing massive disruptions. “A large part of the planned flights will probably have to be canceled by the airlines,” the airport announced early Monday afternoon. On Tuesday morning there was certainty: a total of 140 (96 departures/44 arrivals) out of 260 flights were canceled.
At both airports, the strike was also extended to personnel and goods inspection. This causes additional delays for the remaining passengers. According to the airports, the situation in both Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf was comparatively quiet in the morning.
Strike at Frankfurt Airport: No boarding possible on Tuesday – “completely disproportionate”
At Frankfurt Airport, the strike between 2 a.m. and 11 p.m. is also expected to have “massive effects on operations,” according to a statement on Monday. The security checks outside the transit area should remain closed. This means that boarding in Frankfurt will not be possible.
The airport “asks all passengers who want to start their journey in Frankfurt not to come to the airport,” said a spokesman, adding: “To seriously disrupt air traffic throughout Germany within a very short time is completely disproportionate. We appeal to the collective bargaining partners to work out an amicable solution in negotiations”. A total of 750 flight movements with around 80,000 passengers are planned for Tuesday. At the Hamburg Airport is also on strikewhere the bulk of the 88 departures could be canceled, reports 24hamburg*.
Strike: Additional flights from Paderborn Airport
Hundreds of flights are canceled due to the strike. However, some can still be served from other airports that are not on strike. Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport announced that there will be 13 additional flights from Paderborn on Tuesday that have been diverted from other airports. According to this, several machines from the airlines Corendon, Tuifly and Condor are to start from Paderborn. The flights go to Egypt, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira and Turkey. Paderborn Airport had already handled additional flights during the last security staff strike.
Despite the strike: All Condor flights are taking place
The airline Condor has announced that despite the strike at eight German airports, all Condor flights will start on Tuesday. The affected flights were diverted to other airports. “In order to ensure that all guests can take off on vacation, flights have been relocated to alternative airports such as Nuremberg, Paderborn or Rostock-Laage,” reports Condor. Passengers can either travel independently to the alternate airports or use the bus transfers organized by Condor. There is also good news for passengers on the return journey. “The corresponding return flights from the destination to Germany will be carried out regularly to the originally planned arrival airport, because arrivals are not affected by today’s strike,” says Condor.
Airport strike in Germany: “Stretch the bow” – BDL mad at Verdi
The Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry (BDL), which represents employers in collective bargaining, also spoke up on Tuesday morning. According to a statement, the renewed call for a strike would “overlap the arc of a warning strike”.
“Although neither the airports nor the airlines are in a tariff conflict with Verdi, this strike primarily affects air traffic and many thousands of travelers,” said BDL CEO Matthias von Randow. That was “unfair” and would make economic recovery after the “pandemic-related collapse” more difficult. With the “disproportionate, widespread paralysis of air traffic”, the Verdi union would have abandoned the basis of a “responsible collective bargaining and industrial action policy”. The BDL also points to the many previous strikes recently.
Airport strikes in Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf: Verdi demands this for the air security forces
- salary increase of at least one euro per hour (duration twelve months)
- alignment the wages of cargo and goods screening staff to the rate of passenger screening staff
- Same hourly wage nationwide for staff in boarding card control, security checks and aircraft security
- Abolition of low salaries when starting a career (up to 24 months)
The reason for the strike is the collective bargaining dispute over a wage increase for the security forces at commercial airports throughout Germany. In four rounds of negotiations so far, no agreement has been reached between Verdi and the employers. Although the employers had submitted a new offer, this was insufficient for the union. It was probably only the wages for the upper pay brackets that were increased. For all employees with an hourly wage of less than 13 euros, 38 cents more per hour will probably continue to be offered. However, Verdi is demanding one euro and the abolition of the zero months.
“Employers have failed to finally submit a negotiable offer that takes up the price trend and ensures that work for qualified specialists in the aviation security sector remains attractive,” says Verdi negotiator Wolfgang Pieper. Collective bargaining will continue on March 24th.
Verdi is negotiating nationwide for around 25,000 industry employees with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS). In the course of collective bargaining, work at NRW-Airports had repeatedly been stopped. At the end of February, among other things, hundreds of flights were canceled during a strike at Cologne/Bonn Airport and a strike at Düsseldorf Airport. With or without a strike, there is a risk of chaos at the airports during the Easter holidays.
Strike at Cologne/Bonn Airport and Düsseldorf Airport: What can travelers do?
Travelers are advised to contact the airline or tour operator to find out about the current status of the flight. In addition, passengers are asked to reduce their hand luggage to a minimum in order to speed up the checks. (os with dpa) More news on the 24RHEIN homepage. Tip: Informed daily about what’s happening in NRW – simply subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter. This text is continuously updated. *24hamburg is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
This text is continuously updated.
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