The transport strike suffered by Germany this Monday has affected Spanish air connectivity, with dozens of canceled flights to or from the German country. A large part of the airports and the bus and train stations throughout Germany remain paralyzed due to the protest called by two of the largest unions in the public sector, Ver.di and EVG. The organizations have given a pulse to the Government of Olaf Scholz to demand wage increases of between 10.5% and 12% to compensate for high inflation, of 7.9% on average in 2022 and 9.3 in February.
It is the biggest labor dispute in Germany for 30 years, although the 24-hour protest is peaceful. One of the derivatives that is causing the most inconvenience is the suspension of practically all air traffic. Its impact has been heard throughout Europe and comes after several days of strikes by French air traffic controllers that have put pressure on operations in Spain. Every time the French controllers protest, part of the flights that leave or arrive in Spain through its airspace suffer route or schedule alterations.
Now, at the gates of the Easter holidays, flight cancellations return. The German Airport Association ADV estimates that 380,000 passengers have been affected by the suspension of routes. In Frankfurt alone, one of the largest airports in Europe, almost 1,200 flights have had to be cancelled, affecting 160,000 passengers. Munich airport has paralyzed 1,500 flights, with some 200,000 travelers affected. In Spain, of the 191 flights to or from Germany, 91 have been canceled until 2:00 p.m., according to information from Aena. Spanish airports have more than 5,200 operations scheduled for this Monday.
At the Barcelona airport there are 41 scheduled flights with Germany, of which 33 have been suspended, while the Mallorca airport has descheduled 32 flights. As for airlines, Iberia has canceled twenty flights to or from Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf, while Vueling has descheduled 18. Eurowings or Lufthansa have also had to reduce their schedule with Spain and leave passengers on the ground or look for travel alternatives.
In the aviation sector, there is concern that strikes will intensify in Europe as the main holiday and demand periods approach. Last year there were days of authentic chaos in large European airports due to labor disputes and personnel problems after the pandemic stopped. Airlines had to cancel thousands of flights. And although the lack of workers seems to have been resolved, the strike threats are coming up again. The last one, that of the security personnel at Heathrow airport, which has called a ten-day strike for this Easter.
