Return of the Airbus jumbos?
Deutsche Lufthansa apparently reacts to airport chaos
Created: 06/28/2022, 05:37
By: Patrick Mayer, Martina Lippl
Lufthansa's giant jumbo: the Airbus A380.
© Silas Stein/dpa
Because there is a lack of staff, there are long queues at German airports.
The German Lufthansa is said to be reactivating its giant jumbos.
The news ticker about the chaos in air traffic.
Return of the
Airbus A380
?
Deutsche Lufthansa apparently reacts to airport chaos.
Handling chaos
in
air traffic
: Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing announces solutions.
This
news ticker about the airport chaos in Germany
is updated regularly.
Update from June 27, 10:10 p.m .:
There is chaos in the check-in halls at many airports in Germany.
Because: The airlines lack the staff.
The result is long queues at the counters and annoyed passengers.
And that in the middle of the travel season in a warm early summer, when even the hot weather in Germany is reminiscent of a holiday in the south.
The reactions?
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) announced a timely solution for air traffic this Monday.
And Lufthansa is apparently making advance payments.
As the
Bild newspaper
reported in the evening, the largest German airline will bring back the huge Airbus A380 to its airline fleet.
The data behind the colossus of the air: The machines have space for up to 509 passengers and can fly up to 14,816 kilometers at an altitude of up to 13,100 meters.
Return of the Airbus A380?
Deutsche Lufthansa apparently reacts to airport chaos
As the
picture
writes, the giant jumbos are expected to be used again from summer 2023 after they were shut down in autumn 2020 in the middle of the corona pandemic.
At that time, air traffic with passenger aircraft had collapsed drastically due to the Corona measures.
Lufthansa still has 14 Airbus A380s parked long-term in France and Spain, the report said.
Six aircraft have been sold, eight are still available.
Recently, individual airlines had even canceled flight connections because they no longer had enough staff.
Before check-in, there were considerable queues and delays in security checks and the processing of passengers at the airports between Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich.
Space for 509 passengers: Lufthansa's Airbus A380, here in October 2015 at a take-off from Frankfurt am Main.
© Boris Roessler/dpa
Handling chaos in air traffic: Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing announces solutions
Update from June 27, 7:15 p.m .:
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has announced a timely solution to deal with the chaos in air traffic.
The FDP politician told the Welt TV channel on Monday that a solution was within reach.
"I hope that we can now get specialists from abroad with security clearances without security gaps here at short notice so that this very, very unsatisfactory situation for the citizens can relax again."
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Travel chaos for the summer holidays?
Eurowings cancels numerous flights again – strike at Malle-Flieger
The German airports and their ground service providers want to employ thousands of foreign workers directly.
The workers are to come from Turkey and some Balkan countries, among others, for a limited period of up to three months.
Talks are currently underway within the federal government to clarify the prerequisites for this.
With regard to the chaotic conditions at airports, Wissing spoke of an unsatisfactory situation.
“People want to go on vacation and are happy to finally be able to travel again after such a long time.
And that the air traffic is not working right now, so: That annoys me too.”
Chaos during the holiday season: huge queues at Düsseldorf Airport.
© David Young/dpa
Travel chaos at German airports: Several airlines are thinning out their flight schedules
First report from June 27th:
Düsseldorf – Before the summer travel season, numerous airlines thinned out their flight schedule at short notice.
Lufthansa is canceling almost 3,000 flights at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.
The Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings also canceled hundreds of flights in July.
At Berlin Airport alone, Easyjet cut its program for the summer months by around 1,000 flights.
The airlines pulled the ripcord, and more and more crew members called in sick because of a coronavirus infection.
But the travel chaos does not end there.
Airport chaos across Germany: "Passengers are desperate and angry"
Frustration instead of holiday joy – there were chaotic scenes at Düsseldorf Airport (NRW) at the weekend.
Flights canceled at short notice and endless queues spoil the holiday mood for many travellers.
"The passengers are desperate and angry - and so are we," said a flight attendant in the
Rheinische Post
.
In addition to the lack of staff and absences due to illness (including coronavirus infections), there was also a disruption in the luggage transport system.
Suitcase chaos at Düsseldorf Airport: the fire brigade had to help
Individual pieces of luggage from holidaymakers were left behind at “home” at Düsseldorf Airport.
On Saturday evening, after landing, passengers had to drive home without their luggage because there were not enough staff to unload them, reports
nzr.de.
The Düsseldorf airport fire brigade had to work, as was confirmed on Monday.
Firefighters had to help unload the luggage, reports the dpa news agency.
Düsseldorf Airport confirms the problems.
On Friday and Saturday, there were faults in the computer technology of the baggage handling system.
According to the airport, more than 1,000 pieces of luggage were initially left behind.
As reported by
nrz.de
, the suitcases were left on the baggage carousel in the now deserted arrival hall.
The airlines and their service providers are actually responsible for the luggage.
However, a team of "qualified employees" from the airport itself and the fire brigade helped with the unloading on Saturday evening.
According to the airport spokeswoman, she was "exceptionally supportive".
The operational readiness of the fire brigade was "of course guaranteed at all times".
According to dpa, the Verdi expert Özay Tarim called the fire brigade action "another low point".
The airport suffered massive damage to its image.
His union had long warned of a debacle at the start of the holiday season.
Summer chaos at German airports: Specialists from Turkey should help
In order to get the travel chaos under control, the federal government wants to bring skilled workers from Turkey to Germany.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) are planning together, according to reports from
Bild am Sonntag
.
Even those who work in baggage handling must go through a security check, the spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior emphasized on Monday.
This review by the respective state authorities takes about two weeks.
Strike alert at Easyjet and Ryanair in Spain
Planned strikes could further affect travel in Europe: The cabin crew of the low-cost airline Easyjet in Spain want to strike nine days for more money.
According to the Spanish trade union USO, strikes are planned at Easyjet between July 1st and 3rd, between July 15th and 17th and between July 29th and 31st.
According to USO, 450 flight attendants of the British airline at the Easyjet locations El Prat (Barcelona Airport), Malaga and Palma de Mallorca will be called upon to make these 24-hour stops.
The Spanish unions (USO and SITCPLA) had previously called on their employees at the low-cost airline Ryanair to go on strike at the beginning of the summer holidays.
The Ryanair crew members are therefore called on
June 24th, 25th, 26th and 30th and July 1st and 2nd to stop working.
Easyjet and Ryanair strike calendar
Easyjet in Spain
: strike call for July 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 15th, 16th, 17th, 29th, 30th and 31st.
Ryanair in Spain
: strikes on 24, 25, 26 and 30 June and 1 and 2 July.
(ml/dpa)
