- Title: GERMANY: Apron control workers at Frankfurt airport enter fifth day of strike
- Date: 23rd February 2012
- Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 22, 2012) (REUTERS) DESERTED DEPARTURES TERMINAL AT FRANKFURT AIRPORT CANCELLED FLIGHTS ON BOARD PAN DOWN CANCELLED FLIGHTS ON BOARD PASSENGERS SLEEPING IN LOUNGE CHAIRS PASSENGERS WALKING PAST IN TERMINAL NOTICE TO PASSENGERS READING "GdF UNION STRIKE UNTIL FRIDAY, FEB. 24, 2012 - PASSENGERS WHOSE FLIGHTS WERE CANCELLED MAY RETURN THEM O
- Embargoed: 9th March 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany, Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Business,Employment,Politics,Travel / Tourism,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA33MDJ7HF4KQI7YQ2W4B1PY6N5
- Story Text: Strikes at Frankfurt airport on Wednesday (February 22) were set to continue until the weekend, according to GdF union, resulting in more flight cancellations and delays at Germany's largest airport.
German carrier Lufthansa has already cancelled hundreds of flights a day because of the walkouts, which started last Thursday.
Just under 200 apron control workers, such as those who guide aircraft to parking places, are striking over a pay dispute with Fraport, which runs the airport.
The latest walkout started at 0400 GMT Monday and was originally due to continue until 0400 GMT Wednesday. It will now be extended to 2200 GMT Friday, the GdF union said on Tuesday.
GdF spokesperson Markus Siebers told Reuters Television "the weather is perfect and beautiful, pilots can see everything going on down there and they can themselves act as necessary if there is an emergency or something is going wrong. And it has happened. More than once."
"Pilots are saying 'but I can't go there because someone else is already parked there' or 'there is one coming my way' or 'I am not allowed to use this runway with my type of aircraft because it is against the law," Siebers said, claiming to quote different pilots.
Frankfurt, Europe's third-largest airport in terms of passenger numbers, usually has around 1,300 flights per day.
Flights do not take off or land between 2200 GMT and 0400 GMT due to a night flight ban.
Fraport said more than 80 percent of flights took off on Monday. It estimated 197 flight cancellations so far out of a total 1,200 scheduled for Tuesday, meaning around 84 percent of services could still run. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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