The next major airport strike is due to hit Berlin Brandenburg (BER) airport on Wednesday.
Verdi trade union has called for an all-day warning strike, which is set to shut down operations completely at the city's major air travel hub for the day.
"On Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, no regular passenger flights will be possible at Berlin Brandenburg Airport," the airport operator announced.
Air travel disrupted
Approximately 445 flights with about 57,000 passengers are set to be affected.
Anyone with a flight scheduled to take-off from, or land at, Berlin airport on Wednesday is advised to check with their airline about rescheduling.
"Please inform yourself about rebookings and alternative travel options," says an announcement on the Berlin airport website.
According to EU law, air passengers are often entitled to compensation when their flights are cancelled or significantly delayed. However, airlines are often no obligated to pay compensation during strikes, citing circumstances beyond their control.
In cases like this, airlines will typically try to re-book passengers onto flights at later times, and may offer accommodation or tickets for alternative transport (e.g. by train) for nearby destinations.
READ ALSO: What are your rights in Germany if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
More strikes to come
The warning strike at Berlin Brandenburg comes less than a week after Lufthansa pilots staged a two-day strike that affected flights across Germany.
Now there is the threat of further strikes in air travel, specifically at the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings. According to a Der Spiegel report, 94 percent of the participating members of the pilots union (Vereinigung Cockpit) voted in favour of the strike.
A date for a strike at Eurowings has not yet been set, but the union has suggested that further announcements will come "promptly".
What is the Berlin airport strike about?
Verdi is currently in wage negotiations for around 2,000 employees with the Berlin-Brandenburg airport company. These include employees in the fire department, traffic management and terminal management.
The union is demanding six percent more, or at least €250 more per month for affected workers. It also wants to enforce an additional day off for union members.
So far the employers' side had made an initial offer, which, according to the union, provided for a wage increase of around one percent annually until the end of 2028.
Verdi said it was "not a serious offer, but a provocation at the negotiating table".
This is the first strike at Berlin airport in the current collective bargaining round. The next round of negotiations is set for March 25th.
The CEO of the airport company has said she is "confident" an agreement will be made then.
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