At the start of the summer holidays – airport chaos: patience is currently required at Europe’s hubs – news

When changing, it could take longer these days. There is a shortage of staff in Paris, Frankfurt, London and Amsterdam.

After two years of Corona, in which little was done in aviation, almost as many people want to fly again this summer as before the pandemic.

At the same time, the virus continues to circulate, exacerbating the already existing shortage of skilled workers. In recent weeks there have been reports of chaotic conditions at Europe’s airports, delayed or canceled flights and staff who have already stopped work or plan to do so. An overview of the situation at the largest hubs.

Amsterdam Schiphol

No other airport is currently struggling with a lack of staff as badly as the major Dutch airport. The number of employees there has been reduced by 10,000 since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. This is now noticeable at the latest. Pictures of passengers waiting in front of and in the terminals have been circulating on social media for weeks.

Those responsible have reacted to the staff shortage and are now paying a special bonus of 5.25 euros per hour to the cleaning and baggage handling staff in the summer months. In the small-scale Netherlands, other airports also help out. For example, several airlines have been able to divert their flights to Rotterdam in the past few weeks.

The Schiphol operators are unlikely to have made many friends with the restaurant and shop operators: for weeks they have been advising passengers against arriving at the airport too early.

London Heathrow

At the largest airport in Europe with around 80 million passengers a year, waiting times are common, writes SRF correspondent Patrik Wülser. In the coming weeks, however, there is a risk of collapse. The flight schedule is already getting thinner every day. Airlines are missing the staff laid off during the pandemic.

Brexit does not make recruiting new ground staff any easier. The majority of long-standing employees will no longer receive a work permit in the future. Britons, on the other hand, are unlikely to be willing to lug suitcases around airports for low wages. Meanwhile, British Airways cabin crew want higher wages and have threatened to go on strike. The chaotic conditions at the airport are likely to continue – dozens of flights were canceled again on Monday alone.

Frankfurt am Main

The situation at German airports is similar to that in other countries.

Legend:

In Frankfurt, too, a particularly large number of people want to travel again this year.

key stone

There have also been strikes here. The biggest problem is the acute shortage of staff. This is not only the case in Germany. But in Germany it can sometimes take a long time before solutions are on the table, as correspondent Stefan Reinhardt reports. “Everyone passes the hot potato on. The transport minister says the airlines should look for staff themselves – they in turn complain: where from?” A “recruitment agreement” with Turkey, as activated in the 1960s, is intended to remedy the situation.

Paris Charles de Gaulle

There have also been strikes in the past few days and weeks at Europe’s second largest airport, after London Heathrow. A week ago, a fifth of the flights had to be canceled from the hub. The ground staff are demanding higher wages, and the employees of the airport fire brigade have also gone on strike in the meantime.

Legend:

Strikes at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (also known as Roissy) have caused inconvenience for passengers in recent weeks.

key stone

Negotiations with the staff are likely to continue. Meanwhile, those responsible have to fill 4,000 positions that have been vacant since the pandemic.