Hundreds of flights to and from Germany, including to GCC countries, have been cancelled or delayed on Thursday due to strikes at the country’s seven airports.

German flag carrier Lufthansa has listed 537 of its 1,800 flights as cancelled on its website.

It also already has cancelled some schedules for Friday.

In the UAE, Abu Dhabi airline Etihad will divert its services to and from Frankfurt International Airport and Dusseldorf, with passengers to be taken by bus between the two German airports.

Dubai-based Emirates said its passengers to Germany would experience only “minor delays”. It website indicates two services to Frankfurt this morning departed on or close to time.

“Due to a public sector strike across Germany on Thursday, March 27, Emirates may experience minor delays on two of its flights out of Frankfurt (EK044 and EK046),” a spokesperson said.

The Verdi union, which represents about 2.1m employees in Germany’s public sector airports, is protesting for higher wages with strikes at seven of the country’s largest airfields.

The union is demanding a 3.5 percent pay increase, plus an additional 100 euros ($138) per month. Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa’s main German hubs, both face disruptions, and the union said it expects about 1,400 employees in Frankfurt, Europe’s third-largest hub, to participate

Source: KUNA