Frankfurt Airport to Operate 70% of Flights

Frankfurt airport, Europe’s third- biggest, said more than 80 percent of flights are operating as ground control staff strike for a third day.

Fraport AG (FRA), which operates the airport, has canceled 223 of today’s 1,250 planned flights, with primarily short-haul flights affected, spokeswoman Stephanie Wagener said by telephone today. Fraport had originally said it would operate about 70 percent of connections.

The 200 employees striking over wages and plans to outsource ground-control functions will continue their strike until 5 a.m. on Feb. 22, the Frankfurt-based Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung union, or GdF, said in a statement last night.

The strikes will continue until Fraport makes an offer, GdF board member Markus Siebers said by telephone, adding there has been no contact between the two parties since the strikes started. The workers staged walkouts Feb. 16 and Feb. 17.

“Fraport is willing to negotiate at any time if the GdF is ready to make compromises and if it ends its strike actions,” the company said. “The excessive demands and the stubborn attitude from GdF are affecting passengers, airlines and our employees. This must come to an end.”

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (LHA) has canceled 100 connections, all inside Europe, Thomas Jachnow, a spokesman for the German carrier said by phone. The airline canceled 125 of 290 medium- haul and domestic connections on Feb. 17. A connection is an inbound and outbound flight to the same location.

Rigid Stance
Fraport said 298 flights of a planned 1,300 were canceled airport-wide on Feb. 17.

“Both sides’ stances are rigid and Fraport’s management seems set on breaking the strike by bringing in other workers from elsewhere,” GdF negotiator Dirk Vogelsang said yesterday.

The GdF, which has reached deals with Munich and Berlin airports, says it has accepted a recommendation from mediator Ole von Beust for a two-step increase in monthly wages of between 200 euros ($263) and 1,600 euros.

With Fraport planning to outsource the ground-control function, the GdF also wants it to agree that workers will be transferred to a single company on a single contract, said Markus Siebers, the union’s wages and rights representative.

Frankfurt, which ranks behind London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle in yearly passenger numbers, is the main base for Lufthansa, Europe’s second-biggest airline.

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