Strike at Munich Airport grounds 80% of flights

A two-day strike by airport workers, called by the verdi trade union in a public sector wage dispute, has begun at Munich Airport, reported dpa.

Airlines have cancelled 80% of scheduled flights for Thursday and Friday, the airport operator FMG said on its website.

Further cancellations could not be ruled out, the airport said in a statement.

At Munich Airport, 830 take-offs and landings were originally scheduled over the two days, but with 80% cancelled, more than 1,300 flights are set to be affected.

The airport in the south of Germany is among the country's largest, and is used as a secondary hub for the Frankfurt-based German flagship airline Lufthansa.

A parallel strike at Hamburg Airport is also expected to see disruption on Thursday and Friday. Verdi said on Wednesday that airport workers, including staff in maintenance, IT services, airport security and baggage transport, would join the strike.

The strike is set to end at midnight on Friday.

Lufthansa has pledged to assist affected passengers with free rebooking or cancellations.

The strike comes amid collective bargaining negotiations between public sector workers and local authorities.

Verdi is demanding an 8% wage increase and better working conditions, including three additional days of paid leave.

Though airlines are not part of the negotiations, they are caught in the fallout.