Strike grounds flights at Geneva airport

A strike paralysed Geneva airport on Friday, grounding flights for two days at Switzerland's second-busiest airport at the start of the busy summer travel season.

Airport employees initially walked off the job from 6:00-10:00 am (0400 GMT and 0800 GMT), forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights.

But shortly before the strike was due to end, staff gathered outside the terminal voted to prolong the walkout until the end of Saturday.

An airport spokesman said on Thursday that some 8,000 passengers would likely be affected by the four-hour walkout at the airport, a key hub for the EasyJet budget carrier.

A number of international flights from North America and the Middle East had been delayed in order to arrive after the initial strike was due to end, according to a tweet by the airport on Friday.

The strike was called after the airport's board approved on Thursday a new wage policy contested by staff.

Many police and security staff were posted in front of the terminal and only passengers for flights scheduled for after the initial strike period had been allowed inside. 

Striking workers and trade unionists were protesting outside the terminal's main entrance.

It is the first-ever strike by staff directly employed by the airport, as opposed to subcontractors, and according to Swiss airline includes air traffic controllers as well as those which guide planes along the tarmac.

"In Switzerland strikes are very rare" as they may be called only after a process of consultations, said Claire Pellegrin, head of the airport staff commission.

"It's the last option that we never thought we'd get to," she added.

A trade unionist said it was difficult to understand how they had arrived at the impasse. 

"The airport is a profitable business which enjoys a monopoly and is attacking the conditions of its staff," said Pierre-Yves Maillard, head of the Swiss Trade Union Confederation (USS), who turned out to support the strikers.

Nearly 6.8 million passengers used the Geneva airport between January and May, according to official statistics.

The aviation industry has been keen to avoid a repeat of the chaos seen at European airports last year.

The sector struggled to cope with a surge in travel as it was severely understaffed after laying off thousands during the Covid pandemic.

Passengers faced huge lines, misplaced luggage and flight delays.

Other European airports and airlines have also faced strikes by staff.

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© Agence France-Presse

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