Strike paralyzes large parts of German air traffic The EU parliament is in favor of further reforms after the corruption scandal

Significant disruptions to German air traffic are expected this Friday. The Verdi trade union started a warning strike last night.

The Verdi trade union has paralyzed large parts of German air traffic. The planned all-day warning strike at Hanover Airport began Friday evening. Airport operations in Hanover, the only one of the seven airports on strike not to have a night flight ban, are very limited, a Verdi spokesman for the German news agency said late Thursday. Aircraft may also no longer take off or land in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen, Hamburg and Dortmund, if possible.

According to estimates by the airport association ADV, almost 300,000 passengers are affected by as many as 2,340 canceled flights. Lufthansa alone had to cancel some 1,300 connections. About 3,000 passengers are affected by Swiss.

With the strike, not only at the airports, the employees want to underline their demands in the collective bargaining dispute between the federal and local governments. In addition to the public service, there are also local negotiations for ground handling services and a nationwide collective bargaining round for aviation security.

Verdi and the civil servant association DBB are demanding 10.5 percent more income in the civil servant wage dispute, but at least 500 euros more for the approximately 2.5 million federal and local employees. The employers rejected the claims. The second round of negotiations is scheduled for 22 and 23 February in Potsdam. No offer has yet been received from the employer. (sda/awp/dpa)