Two passengers walk past an electronic screen showing cancelled flights at Tegel airport in Berlin, capital of Germany, on March 10, 2017. Ground staff at Berlin's two major airports went on strike on Friday, paralyzing air traffic in the German capital. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)
BERLIN, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Ground staff at Berlin's two major airports went on strike on Friday, paralyzing air traffic in the German capital.
Nearly all fights were canceled at Tegel and Schoenefeld airports.
As of Friday morning, Tegel airport reported at least 450 flights cancelled while Schoenefeld reported 204, including Lufthansa, Eurowings, AirBerlin, Brussels Airlines and British Airways.
Verdi, the union representing the around 2,000 ground staff, demanded a 1 euro (1.06 U.S. dollars) pay rise per hour, from the current 11 euro to 12 euros.
The strike started 4 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) Friday and will last 25 hours.
The strike especially impacted the ongoing Internationale Tourismus Boerse, a major tourism trade fair in Berlin. Many exhibitors took a detour to other aviation hubs.
