On Monday, March 10, Germany experienced a widespread strike by airport workers, crippling air travel and causing significant disruptions across the country.

The strike, organized by the Verdi services union, affected 13 major airports, including Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Stuttgart, and Munich, leading to the cancellation of the majority of flights and impacting over half a million travelers.

The strike began at midnight and is set to last for 24 hours, involving public sector employees at airports, along with ground services and security teams.

Frankfurt Airport’s operating company reported that all departing passenger flights would be halted for the day, with delays and cancellations expected to persist into Tuesday.

Out of 1,116 scheduled flights, 1,050 have already been canceled, with numbers likely to rise.