Hamburg Airport: Workers stage last-minute strike with 30 minutes' notice, 40,000 passengers stranded

The walkout, which reportedly began with only 30 minutes’ notice, came a day before a larger planned strike across Germany amid ongoing contract negotiations.

Hamburg Airport confirmed that only 10 of more than 280 scheduled flights operated as planned. Many service desks were left empty, leaving frustrated passengers lining up for information about their cancelled flights.

The strike was called by the ver.di union, which represents workers in areas such as passenger services, cargo handling, and security screening. It was organized to put pressure on company representatives in collective bargaining talks.

Airport spokeswoman Katja Bromm strongly criticised the last-minute strike, stating, “The behaviour of the trade union ver.di is dishonorable. The strike without notice hits Hamburg Airport at the start of the vacation season.”

She also warned of further disruptions, adding, “On Monday, arrivals would be possible, but considerable disruptions and cancellations are expected.”

Bromm described Sunday’s strike as "excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travellers who have nothing to do with the disputes."

For months, ver.di has been negotiating a new agreement aimed at improving working conditions, including occupational health and safety measures, additional vacation days, an increase in the annual bonus to 50%, and the right for employees to choose their own doctors for mandatory medical exams.

Monday’s planned strike is set to impact 13 airports across Germany, further escalating tensions between the union and airport management.