German airports in trouble due to lack of staff.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing noted the problem of staff shortages in the tourism and transport industry during the holiday season.
Staff shortages are particularly evident in air traffic, where there have been large crowds and delays at German airports on the eve of the holidays.
“Here, two aspects negatively affect the development of the situation: a large number of people who finally want to rest after the pandemic and a simultaneous lack of staff in the tourism and transport industry, which has lost a large number of employees recently” said Wissing.
Staff are lacking in all sectors: from passenger control, through baggage loading to cabin staff, according to Wissing.
He called for an initiative to get a skilled workforce and modernize infrastructure.
Airport workers’ unions estimate a current shortage of around 5,500 workers.
The problem is that due to the long-term safety checks of the workers who are employed at the airports, a larger number of workers cannot be employed in a short period of time.