Düsseldorf/Cologne (dpa/lnw) - A warning strike by Lufthansa ground staff began at Düsseldorf Airport on Wednesday. This was confirmed by a spokesman for the Verdi union in the morning.
An airport spokesman said there were isolated failures. A Lufthansa flight to Munich did not start as planned. According to the plan, a flight to Lisbon was also canceled. The other flights in the morning were delayed, but they started.
The airport had feared serious impairments. Among other things, employees of the Lufthansa subsidiary Leos are called on to stop work for a limited period of time. Leos handles much of the so-called pushbacks for several airlines. Aircraft are pushed away from the parking position so that they can then taxi to the runway.
Eurowings, the largest airline in North Rhine-Westphalia, had said that flight operations were expected to be largely normal. The strike call is not directed against Eurowings. In Düsseldorf, sufficient spare capacity has been secured for towing and positioning the aircraft.
Cologne/Bonn Airport is also affected by the warning strike. However, he expected only minor effects. With the walkout, after several rounds of negotiations with Lufthansa, Verdi wants to put pressure on better pay for employees.
Because of the warning strike on Wednesday, Lufthansa canceled almost the entire program at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The total of ten arrivals and departures to Munich were also canceled in Cologne/Bonn.
