Passengers Stranded At Germany’s Hamburg Airport As Several Flights Cancelled Over ‘Sudden Strike’

Passengers were left stranded, and chaos unfolded as several flights scheduled to and from Germany’s Hamburg Airport were cancelled on Sunday, following a strike by airport workers “without prior notice,” DW reported, quoting the airport operator. An estimated 3,400 flights are expected to be cancelled, the report said.

Out of total 144 arrivals and 139 departures scheduled for Sunday, only 10 early morning flights had run to schedule, a Hamburg Airport spokesperson told DPA news agency, adding, “For this reason, the airport is closed with immediate effect.”

The strike had been due to start Monday, foreign reports suggest

According to DW, the union Verdi called the “warning strikes” at multiple airports across the country on Monday to protest disputed wages.

Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt (Main), Cologne-Bonn, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin-Brandenburg and Leipzig-Halle airports will be affected, the report said quoting Verdi.

Over 510,000 travellers could be affected by delays or cancelations of their flights, DW reported, citing airport association ADV.

“The walkout was necessary so that the impact of the strike could really be felt,” a Verdi spokesperson told DW.