Germany's most important international airport is again facing a day of extreme delays and cancellations tomorrow as an ongoing labor dispute threatens to cripple the airport for the second week in a row.
The airport is braced for further disruption
For the second Tuesday in successive weeks, Frankfurt Airport has announced that it will be closed to departing passengers all day tomorrow (Tuesday, March 22nd) due to industrial action called by unions representing security personnel at the airport.
Following last week's significant disruption, widespread delays and cancellations are expected at the airport from 02:00 tomorrow, local time. The union representing security personnel at the airport is calling the strike, citing its campaign for equal wage rates for security personnel across all of the country's airports, alongside a pay rise of at least €1 ($1.10) per hour.
The airport is already anticipating wholesale cancelations from its airline operators in light of the industrial action. Passengers scheduled to use the airport tomorrow are advised to avoid coming to the airport and contact their airline for further guidance and rebooking options.
Ongoing labor relations dispute
The industrial action, which affected thousands of passengers due to travel on hundreds of flights last week, will see the airport effectively closed to departing passengers. Originating passengers from Germany's primary international air travel hub will be prevented from passing through legally required security checkpoints in order to board flights.
Only those passengers who are transiting through Frankfurt between flights will be permitted to pass through the airport's terminals. The airport hopes that the transfer processes for connecting passengers in the transit area will still largely be possible. However, it advises that even transfer passengers should expect disruptions and delays due to the strike.
A dispute involving airports across Germany
The industrial action is part of a more comprehensive disruption program being invoked by the Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (Verdi) union at airports across Germany. The union is negotiating a deal involving 25,000 security staff nationwide.
Last week, as reported here, the strike affected many German airports, with staff walking out at airports in Berlin, Bremen, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Stuttgart, and Leipzig, causing significant disruption across the whole country.
Although talks between Verdi and the Bundesverband der Luftsicherheitsunternehmen (Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies) continued last week, a breakthrough is yet to be found, prompting tomorrow's further mass walkout.
Last week, commenting on the industrial action, Wolfgang Pieper, Verdi's chief negotiator, stated,
"The work of the aviation security forces must remain financially attractive so that the urgently needed specialists can be recruited. At least 150 specialists are currently needed in Frankfurt to check passengers in a reasonable time and avoid long queues. The employer offer is far below what the employees demand."
Strikes are stifling Frankfurt's recovery
The strikes last week saw over 770 take-offs and landings scheduled for Tuesday canceled at Frankfurt alone due to the walkout. The action will have the most significant effect on the German national airline Lufthansa. Dominating movements at the airport, the airline had been hoping for a presumption of its network as the economic gloom following COVID-19 lifts from across its operations.
Just two weeks ago, the carrier was promoting how it hoped to be operating 85% of its pre-pandemic capacity this summer. However, this series of ongoing strikes will do nothing to help the airline's aspirations. They will likely impose a dent in the traveling public's confidence just as it was starting to show green shoots of recovery.