Strike at Geneva airport extends until July 1

Passengers at Geneva airport, Switzerland, June 15, 2022. Illustrative photo (file)

The strike, originally scheduled to run from 6am to 10am local time on June 30, has led to the cancellation of dozens of flights at Switzerland’s second-busiest airport. Just before the strike was due to end, staff gathered outside the terminal to vote to extend the strike until the end of the day on July 1.

On Twitter, Geneva airport management said some international flights from North America and the Middle East were delayed after the initial strike ended.

The strike came after the airport board approved a new wage policy on June 29 that was not supported by airport staff. Large numbers of police and security personnel were deployed in front of the airport terminal and only passengers on flights scheduled after the initial strike ended were allowed inside. Many staff and union members were on strike outside the main entrance to the airport terminal.

This is the first strike by employees directly working at the airport, including air traffic controllers. According to an official representing the Geneva airport staff, strikes are rare in Switzerland because they can only be carried out after a consultation process, and this strike was the last resort.

Geneva airport handled nearly 6.8 million passengers in the first five months of this year, according to official statistics. The Swiss aviation industry is now trying to avoid a repeat of the chaos that hit European airports last year.

According to VNA