More than 100 flights cancelled by Austrian Airlines ahead of busy Easter travel season

Austrian Airlines cancelled more than 100 flights on March 28, Tuesday as workers strike to demand higher pay, the latest in a string of protests sweeping the European aviation industry in the run-up to the busy Easter travel season.

The company has offered a wage hike of as much as 12.3%, according to the Chamber of Commerce in Austria. Worker representatives said the proposal only applies to some employees, while most would have to contend with an increase of 10%.

The union meeting started at 9 a.m. in Vienna on Tuesday. A similar gathering earlier this month turned into a warning strike lasting into the early afternoon hours.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the owner of Austrian Airlines, grounded flights in Germany on March 27, Monday amid a similar dispute over salaries.

According to information from Vienna Airport and Flightradar24, the cancelled flights include connections to Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin and Hanover in Germany, as well as Brussels, Copenhagen, Milan, Basel, Bologna, Venice, Sofia, Athens, Amsterdam, Prague, Bucharest, Pristina, Budapest, Zurich, Chisinau, Lyon, Skopje, Palma de Mallorca, Stockholm, Naples, Varna in other European countries, and Chicago, Washington, Amman overseas.

In France, protesters have clashed with police, opposing plans to raise the minimum retirement age and in the UK, British Airways cancelled flights over the Easter vacation because of protests at Heathrow airport ground staff.

Austria’s state-owned railways operator raised wages by an average 8.9% in December following a day-long strike.

(With inputs from agencies)