Strikes Cause Flight Chaos in Germany, Spain
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Travelers across Europe are facing significant flight disruptions as ground staff and other workers at airports in Germany and Spain went on strike.
According to MSN, the strikes have resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights and significant delays at several airports across Europe.
In Germany, the Verdi union called for a strike of ground staff at the Berlin airports Tegel and Schoenefeld, with the walkout scheduled to last for two days. The union is demanding higher wages and better working conditions for its members.
Meanwhile, in Spain, the workers' union at the handling company Acciona called for a strike at Barcelona's El Prat airport. The strike is expected to last for five days and will affect the airport's ground handling and security services.
The strike action has led to the cancellation of around 200 flights at the Berlin airports and over 300 at Barcelona's El Prat airport, affecting tens of thousands of travelers. Several other airports across Germany and Spain are also facing significant delays and cancellations due to the strikes.
The airlines affected by the strike action are urging passengers to check the status of their flights and offering rebooking options or refunds for those affected by cancellations.
Across Europe, however, a range of other walk-outs are set to disrupt travel plans.
In France, another general strike in protest against President Macron’s planned pension reforms will take place on Tuesday 7 March. There is likely to be significant disruption to rail and public transport services in France, with air-traffic control also potentially affected.
Eurostar, whose trains from London to Paris could be affected, said: “We’re currently working out the impact on our timetables.”
On Wednesday 15 March, train driver members of the Aslef union working for Transport for London are expected to walk out in a bid to bring the Underground in the capital to a halt.
On the same day at Pisa airport in Italy, a four-hour walk-out planned for 10am-2pm local time for union members working as ground staff.
The next round of national rail strikes in the UK by members of the RMT union begins on Thursday 16 March, with further disruption on Saturday 18 March, Thursday 30 March and Saturday 1 April.
The strikes come amid a busy travel season in Europe, with many people traveling for summer holidays. The disruptions are causing significant inconvenience for travelers and highlighting the ongoing labor disputes in the aviation industry.
