More than 2,000 flights canceled amid workers’ strike at seven German airports

More than 2,000 flights to and from German airports were canceled Friday as workers walked out to press their demands for inflation-busting pay increases.

The strikes at seven German airports, including Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg, affected almost 300,000 passengers and forced airlines to cancel more than 2,300 flights.

Christine Behle of the Verdi labor union told public broadcaster RBB-Inforadio that failure to reach a meaningful deal with employers on pay could result in a “summer of chaos” at German airports.

The union is seeking a 10.5% increase for its members to make up for the high inflation seen in Germany and elsewhere last year from the impact that Russia’s attack on Ukraine has had on global food and energy prices.

Verdi Chairman Frank Werneke told the weekly newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that the willingness among its members to stage strikes was big and future walkouts could reach “another dimension.”

He noted that recent strikes at airports, public transport and child-care facilities could be extended to garbage removal services and hospitals.