BERLIN (Reuters) – Passengers at Germany’s two main airports, Berlin and Hamburg, faced chaos on Monday as security guards and ground services staged a day-long strike over salaries.
Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which serves the capital, said all departures were canceled and some landings were also affected after the Verdi union called for security guards to strike until midnight (2200 GMT).
An airport spokesman said about 240 flights were scheduled to take off.
Employees of the private air handling service Hamburg (AHS), which handles check-in, boarding, loss and discovery for many airlines, including Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), at Hamburg airport, have also called for a 24-hour strike. .
No impact is expected on incoming flights or flights operated by other companies, the airport said.
AHS was scheduled to handle 84 of the 160 departures on Monday, but 31 were canceled by 9am (0700 GMT).
Europe’s largest economy has seen some of the most devastating strikes in decades as trade unions push for higher wages to offset rising costs of living.
Last week, airports in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart were hit by strikes.
Ralph Beisel, chief executive of the airport association ADV, said unions were exercising their right to conduct warning strikes before an arbitration of unreasonable length.
Written by Madeline Chambers.Editing by Susan Fenton
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