Over 600 flights affected by German airport security staff strike

More than 640 flights in Germany were canceled on Thursday due to security staff strikes at Duesseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart airports in a bid to put pressure on management in wage talks.

Out of 1,054 scheduled flights in total, 643 were canceled, the airports said, adding that many of its passengers which average 115,000 per day, would be affected, with significant delays at security checkpoints.

Public sector union Verdi said it was negotiating on behalf of 23,000 security workers in Germany. Wage talks are to resume on 23 January, it said. The union has demanded a pay increase to 20 euros per hour before tax.

On Monday, a strike at Berlin’s Schoenefeld and Tegel airports had caused delays and flight cancellations.