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Travelers at Frankfurt am Main Airport: »On the final trains«
Photo: Frank Rumpenhorst / dpa
Because airports and airlines cut staff en masse during the pandemic, many German airports are falling into chaos.
Soon, however, hundreds of helpers from abroad should alleviate the situation.
It is "realistic that 250 foreign helpers will be there by mid-August," said Thomas Richter, chairman of the employers' association of ground handling service providers in aviation (ABL), the editorial network Germany (RND).
At the airports in Munich, Nuremberg and Frankfurt, the assistants could remedy the situation.
With a view to the required documents, one is in the »final stages«.
However, there are still bureaucratic hurdles.
In June, the federal government created the possibility of recruiting temporary workers from third countries – mainly from Turkey.
However, the assistants have to go through a reliability check.
The general manager of the airport association, Ralph Beisel, told the RND that the recruitment of urgently needed personnel could be "significantly facilitated by a more efficient and thus shorter examination, without sacrificing safety standards".
The labor disputes continue
However, how smoothly air travel will go during the month does not only depend on this.
Because Lufthansa's ground staff is still involved in industrial action.
Last Wednesday, more than 1,000 flights were canceled due to strikes in Frankfurt and Munich, affecting around 134,000 passengers.
The Lufthansa and Ver.di delegations are meeting this Wednesday for the third round of negotiations.
The union is demanding 9.5 percent more wages for employees, but at least 350 euros a month.
If no agreement is reached, further strikes are threatened.
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It is also unclear how the pilots will continue.
Last week, members of the Vereinigung Cockpit union voted in favor of a labor dispute with a clear majority.
A strike by around 5,000 pilots at Lufthansa is therefore possible with immediate effect.
So far, however, no strike has been requested from the company's board of directors.
jlk/dpa
