Flights canceled in new round of strikes at German airports

BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) – Strikes at four German airports led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Friday, in a fresh bout of industrial action that has disrupted travel plans in recent months.

German trade union Verdi has called on security and ground handling workers at Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart and Baden-Baden airports to strike over wages and working conditions.

Cologne/Bonn airport announced the cancellation of 144 flights, while Düsseldorf airport said earlier in the week it was working with a “significantly reduced flight schedule”. It had originally forecast 368 takeoffs and landings for Friday.

“There will be no take-offs, no landings, all day because of the Verdi strike,” Stuttgart Airport said in a statement, asking passengers not to come to the airport .

Earlier this week, airports in Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg canceled all commercial flights due to the strike, at a time when the post-pandemic rebound in travel has exacerbated staffing problems and workers are demanding higher wages high due to high inflation.

(Written by Rachel More; Edited in Spanish by Benjamin Mejías Valencia)