Nationwide German airport strikes cripple connectivity
March 10, 2025
A single-day strike at 13 of Germany’s biggest airports has all but crippled the country’s scheduled services, with operations severely disrupted as airport workers stage yet another round of industrial action.
Initiated by service workers union Verdi, the strike follows three separate instances of so-called ‘warning strike’ action at major German airports in the last week of February, initiated by trade union Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (‘Verdi’). Alongside demanding a pay rise of 8% for public sector workers, Verdi is also calling for improved working conditions for aviation security personnel – with the last round of negotiations (on 25th/26th February) having reached the end of the line.
In a press release dated 8 March, Verdi confirmed that it was “calling on employees in the aviation security sector… to hold all-day waning strikes at several German commercial airports on Monday,” intended to increase the pressure on employers in the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) to improve the working conditions of approximately 25,000 employees in the aviation security sector. A separate collective bargaining conflict, including public service workers, is also affecting some of the named airports.
Hamburg airport was the first to feel the earlier-than-anticipated brunt of the latest 24-hour walkout (confirmed by Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter to be “unannounced”) with Verdi calling on its services “to go on strike immediately” and “without any notice,” explained Hamburg Airport on social media. With the strike call extended to security check staff, the airport has been left closed for all 143 departures scheduled on Monday, 10 March. “Arrivals are still allowed, but significant disruptions and cancellations are expected,” warned the airport’s website.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s main hub of Frankfurt also warned of “massive disruptions to flight operations,” with connecting flights also likely to be severely adversely affected. Writing on social media, Ritter explained he was “stunned and really worried” at the union’s actions, highlighting that “travellers are increasingly avoiding our country because of strikes like the one disrupting air travel [today],” with Germany’s reputation – not least the economic damage running into the billions – “suffering in a big way”.
Urging for the need for a “good compromise” for both sides, Ritter continue that “what happened last week in Munich and is about to happen again… is the selfish support of union interests at the expense of hundreds of thousands of people.” He concluded that “in order to maintain collective bargaining autonomy and mobility in Germany, new procedural rules will be needed in the public transport sector in the future, especially for critical infrastructure – such as aviation”.
Verdi maintained that it had “tried in vain to find a solution during the negotiation date,” highlighting that it is “demanding, among other things, improvement in occupational health and safety”. The next round of negotiations between the union and employers is scheduled for 26th/27th March 2025.
