Airport employee strikes across Western Europe have threatened to derail travel plans from now until the Easter holiday.
Hundreds of flights have been canceled at major airports in Germany, Spain, France, and across Western Europe due to union disputes and resistance to new government regulations.
These will continue into the middle of April, potentially affecting European flight connections to RAMPAGE in Belgium, Tomorrowland Winter in France, Sonar in Portugal, Time Warp in Germany, and even Awakenings Easter Festival in the Netherlands.
According to The Independent, on February 27 Verdi and Komba trade union members working at Cologne Bonn and Dusseldorf airports walked out due to a pay dispute.
Around 200 flights were canceled at Dusseldorf including flights with British Airways and Eurowings. Dusseldorf is typically the fourth-busiest in Germany and a good option for those looking to be in the center of the country.
Furthermore, ground staff working for Swissport Handling at 17 airports in Spain have begun to strike, impacting luggage handling and baggage retrieval and drop off. These walkouts are expected to occur until the middle of April.
Euronews also reported that unions across France are also protesting plans to increase the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. 30% of flights from Paris’s Orly Airport were canceled recently in protest of the legislation and on March 7, unions across every industry in France planned a work stoppage.
But Heathrow Aiport, the biggest airport in London, could also face issues as 3,000 security guards, engineers, and firefighters are currently voting on whether to strike over low pay with the intended action potentially taking place over the Easter holiday period.
Anyone looking to travel to Western Europe between now and April should expect flight delays and diverted flights.
Check out the video below to hear why the German airports held strikes this week:
