Munich Airport to Temporarily Suspend Commercial Flights

Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (German: “United Services Trade Union,” stylized ver.di) is a Berlin-based German trade union. Established in 2001, the organization is a member of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), and instantiates the merger of five individual unions.

Claiming a membership of 1.9-million workers, Verdi is Germany’s second-largest trade union after IG Metall. Currently, ver.di employs some three-thousand staff-members, and reports an annual income of approximately €454-million, the bulk of which derives of membership subscriptions. The trade union is divided into ten federal state districts and five divisions, and is managed by a National Executive Board (Bundesvorstand) comprising nine members.

In February 2023, ver.di announced its members would undertake nationwide (German) strike actions in connection with ongoing public-sector collective wage negotiations. The strike stands to dramatically impact operations at Munich’s Franz Josef Strauß International Airport (MUC).

The daylong strike will take place on Friday, 17 February 2023.

Anticipating operational interruptions and possible civil strife, MUC’s management petitioned the Bavarian State Ministry of Housing, Construction and Transportation—the Southern German region’s highest aviation supervisory authority—to exempt the airport from the obligation to operate commercial flights during the strike.

The airport’s request was approved. Ergo, from 00:00 Central European Time (CET/UTC+1) on Friday, 17 February until 01:00 CET on Saturday, 18 February 2023, no commercial flight operations will be conducted at MUC. The stoppage pertains to all commercial flights originating, terminating, and passing through Franz Josef Strauß International Airport. The measure will affect more than seven-hundred arrivals and departures.

Special operations such as emergency, medical, and technical flights, as well as aircraft conveying delegates to and from the Munich Security Conference will not be affected by the stoppage.

Passengers inbound to or outbound from MUC are advised to contact their respective airlines for further information.

Up-to-date information is also available on the MUC website.

FMI: www.munich-airport.com