Germany: 24-hour ground staff strike to hit Berlin airports Friday

German trade union Verdi has called for ground staff at Berlin’s Tegel and Schönefeld airports to strike March 10. The 24-hour strike, which is scheduled to begin at 4 am local time, is expected to have a considerable impact on air traffic to and from Berlin. Airberlin said that flights may be canceled or delayed on short notice. Exceptions to the cancellations are likely to be long-haul flights and the feeder flight AB6431 to Airberlin’s Düsseldorf hub. Qatar Airways Group CE Akbar Al Baker said that Qatar may transfer its scheduled Berlin-Doha service on that day to another German airport, such as Leipzig. The strike coincides with the world’s largest travel trade fair, ITB Berlin, and Friday is a peak travel day. <br/>