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Germany may face airport chaos in summer, warns minister

Transport Minister Volker Wissing says Germany has to take action now to limit travel chaos at airports this summer.

Published: 6 June 2022 16:55 CEST
People at Berlin's BER airport on June 3rd.
People at Berlin's BER airport on June 3rd. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Staff shortages at airports have been causing major problems in Europe recently as the number of travellers increases again following the end of most Covid restrictions. 

In the last few days, thousands of Britons trying to travel to and from the UK have been affected by flight cancellations. 

And in Germany, there is growing concern about a similar situation happening during peak travel season.

As The Local reported this week, the issue is down to increased demand for travel again.

But airlines and airports cut back during the pandemic, and got rid of a lot of staff. Now there are huge staff shortages. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there are major problems at security and baggage check areas.

Transport Minister Wissing told Bild am Sonntag: “Two issues are coming together here – on the one hand, people feel a great need to catch up on travelling after all the deprivations and restrictions during the corona pandemic.

“On the other hand, there is the travel and transport industry, which was virtually paralysed during corona and lost staff.”

The FDP minister called for a “job initiative to recruit skilled workers”, and to modernise infrastructure.

READ ALSO: How airports in Europe have been hit by transport chaos

Thousands of vacancies at German airports

The staff shortage in Germany is severe, said Ralph Beisel, CEO of the German Airports Association (ADV).

“Across all locations, the service providers involved in handling passengers are short of around 20 percent ground staff compared to pre-corona times,” Beisel told DPA.

“This can lead to bottlenecks at peak times, especially in check-in, baggage loading and aviation security control.”

German airport works councils estimate that around 5,500 new staff are needed to fill the demand.

But Beisel stressed that because of the security requirements for staffing at airports, employees cannot be hired overnight.

We’d love to know if you’ve experienced airport problems in Germany either when trying to leave or coming back. Drop us an email: [email protected] and tell us what it’s been like.

Member comments

  1. Surprise surprise – they all got bailed out by their Governments, then rather than start recruiting early enough to be ready for this, they kept those wages & now it of course there are staff shortages , but they will never admit it was their fault

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WILDLIFE

Southern Germany sees explosion of mosquitos after floods

First flooding, and now a plague of mosquitos: hoards of the annoying bloodsuckers are spreading on Lake Constance. Here's what to expect if you are visiting the region.

Published: 24 June 2024 16:57 CEST
Southern Germany sees explosion of mosquitos after floods

After severe floods in southern Germany, conditions are ripe for mosquito populations to explode, according to an expert in the region. 

Rainer Bretthauer, environmental and climate protection officer at the city of Radolfzell on Lake Constance, told DPA that the popular holiday location is already seeing signs of a mosquito plague.

 Bretthauer said that the floods have offered perfect conditions for egg laying, resulting in masses of mosquito offspring.

People living around the area or visiting should be prepared, Bretthauer said. He suggested, for instance, wearing loose-fitting and long clothing.

Timing also plays a role when you’re outside. “They tend to bite during twilight hours when the temperature is higher than 18C,” he said. 

Mosquitos ‘not a bad thing for wildlife’

While growing mosquito hoards may ruin peoples’ camping trips and planned lake vacations, for local wildlife, the mosquitos are a good thing, according to the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu).

“All the insects that are now developing are a very important food source for many fish species and also for birds,” said Eberhard Klein from Nabu in Constance.

Around 50 species of mosquitoes are known in Germany. Some of them are counted among the so-called floodwater mosquitoes, which increasingly hatch after flooding.

According to experts, these mosquitos are particularly zealous blood hunters, as they have to reproduce quickly before the favourable conditions disappear again.

Floodwater mosquitoes like to lay their eggs on moist soil, often in riparian zones and floodplains. There they can survive in the soil for several years.

When these zones flood and the temperature is favourable, the eggs develop and hatch mosquitos. Therefore large-scale flooding, as seen recently in Southern Germany, can lead to mass hatching.

Mosquito borne illness is spreading to Europe as temperatures warm

Warming temperatures brought by human-caused climate change have allowed mosquito populations to extend further northward in Europe, including disease-carrying species that were previously limited to regions closer to the equator.

For example, the Asian tiger mosquito is not native to Europe but has already been observed in much of southern and central Europe, including Germany.

Tiger mosquitos are particularly concerning because they are known to spread diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika virus. Mass outbreaks of these infections have been rising globally. Last year local Dengue outbreaks were recorded in France, Italy and Spain.

With reporting by DPA

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