Frankfurt airport strike chaos

Tarmac workers at Frankfurt airport have walked off the job over a pay dispute. They said the strike could lead to disruptions to around 50 percent of operations at Germany’s largest airport.

German airline Lufthansa has already announced it has cancelled 100 flights and may be forced to suspend more if the strike entered a second day, which it is likely to do after the trade union representing air-traffic controllers and ground staff announced a one-day extension of the strike action earlier Thursday..

A spokesman for the GdF union said that it would take its members off the job at Frankfurt Airport from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, in addition to the originally planned strike, which was to run for seven hours, beginning at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

The reason for the extension was that the anticipated disruption caused by Thursday's strike was "not big enough."

Wage dispute

Around 200 air-traffic controllers and workers known as "apron control" staff, who direct planes in and out of their parking positions are set to walk off the job to back up their demands for higher pay and improved working conditions.

The union opted for the strike action after management turned down mediation proposals in the wage dispute.

The company that operates Europe's third largest air traffic hub, Fraport AG, has conceded that Thursday's strike will cause considerable disruption. However a spokesman said Fraport expected at least half of the scheduled flights to operate during the strike. It has advised passengers to contact their airlines for further information.

Fraport was also seeking a court injunction to prevent the union from holding the strike, the court in question has yet to hand down a decision.

dfm, pfd/st (dpa, AFP)