Some flight connections, for example from Rome-Fiumicino to Munich, Cologne, Hamburg or Frankfurt, are canceled during the period of the walkout.
(Photo: dpa)
Rome, Schoenefeld, Brussels Travel during the holidays has so far been running at major German airports without any major difficulties. German travelers are also affected by a strike in Italy this weekend. The ground staff, who are responsible for handling and check-in services, among other things, are on strike there from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Italian consumer protection association Codacons estimated that around 1,000 flight connections and more than 250,000 passengers could be affected by the strike.
Hundreds of flights – including those to and from Germany – have already been cancelled. However, a strike by Ryanair pilots in Belgium had no direct impact on German air traffic.
Otherwise, holiday traffic in Germany runs largely smoothly. In Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the last day of school was before the weekend. In some federal states, the holidays have already begun, in others the start of the holidays is still pending.
3.5 million passengers expected in the Berlin summer holidays
“We had a very well planned and relaxed start to the summer holidays on Friday,” said a spokesman for the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Company (FBB) on Saturday when asked. “All passengers were well prepared and our service providers at the airport were well positioned.” Around 80,000 passengers traveled via Schönefeld Airport on the busiest day of the holiday season. The operators expect more than 3.5 million travelers over the next six weeks – around half a million people more than a year ago.
Operations at Hamburg Airport are also running again without any problems after the most recent climate protests. “The actual start of the holiday season on Saturday in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein has gone smoothly so far,” said a spokeswoman. In the first few days, around 340 take-offs and landings with around 50,000 passengers were planned every day. “This level will remain the same in the coming days.” On Thursday morning, climate activists from the Last Generation group paralyzed Hamburg Airport for hours. On Friday, there were still individual flight cancellations or delays, said the airport spokeswoman.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the holidays have been going on for a few weeks. Things are also going according to plan at the two major airports in Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn. The NRW airports reported high activity on June 22, but no long queues. Before the start of the holiday season, Düsseldorf Airport was expecting more than three million passengers for the six weeks. 1.7 million travelers are expected in Cologne/Bonn over the entire holiday period. In the previous year, there had been problems and hours of waiting at peak times due to staff shortages at the security companies.
Easyjet struggles with delays
With a total of 52,000 passengers over three days, Hanover Airport had a high number of passengers at the start of the holiday season in Lower Saxony last weekend. According to a spokesman, there were no problems with security clearance or delays.
For airlines, however, the summer travel season remains a tense time. “It remains a challenge, and one cannot rule out chaos at the airports again,” said the head of the British low-cost airline Easyjet, Johan Lundgren, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Saturday). “There are 10 to 15 percent more European flights than in 2022 and at the same time there are still capacity restrictions at some airports, partly due to a lack of staff. It’s an explosive mix.”
Easyjet is currently struggling with delays despite having sufficient staff across all locations. “We cannot be satisfied with the current situation,” said Lundgren. Easyjet is one of the largest providers at BER.
120 Ryanair flights canceled
After several meetings between pilot representatives and Ryanair failed to resolve the conflict, 80 percent of Ryanair pilots at Brussels Charleroi Airport – about 50 kilometers south of the Belgian capital Brussels – went on strike. Of the 120 canceled flights, 62 were scheduled for Saturday and 58 for Sunday. Ryanair does not offer flights from Brussels Charleroi to destinations in Germany.
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