The German government will fast-track work permits and visas for several thousand foreign airport workers, mainly from Turkey, to help to ease the summer travel chaos that has frustrated holidaymakers, German ministers said on Wednesday.
Travelers across Europe are facing especially long queues at airports this summer partly because there is not enough staff to handle the rebound in demand after COVID-19 lockdowns.
Germany is facing a shortage of ground staff working in baggage handling and security roles at its airports.
“Many people are looking forward to their holidays after the long pandemic, so it is frustrating if there are disruptions at airports,” Labor Minister Hubertus Heil told reporters at a news conference.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing said “this is a problem that we have across Europe.” Workers at private companies had left during the airport shutdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, he noted.
The aviation sector now aims to bring workers with airport experience to Germany, mainly from Turkey, to work with grounds crews, including in baggage handling, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said at Wednesday’s news conference.
“We will facilitate companies in employing assistance from abroad, in particular from Turkey,” Faeser said after the Cabinet agreed a set of proposals.
They will have to undergo the same security checks as domestic airport workers before being allowed to work at airports, she said.
Airlines, some of which had hoped to hire foreign staff through temporary work agencies, will have to employ workers directly and at standard wages, Labor Minister Heil said.
Heil blamed the staffing shortages on airlines and airport operators, saying they had let too many workers go during the pandemic who had now found jobs in other sectors, such as parcel delivery.
“It would have been up to the companies to take action. We see now that that wasn't done to a sufficient extent,” he said.
Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr on Tuesday apologized to employees and customers for the chaos, saying the flagship carrier had made mistakes when it cut costs during the pandemic to try to save the company.
Heil said that the government’s intervention to help companies bring foreign workers to German airports was a temporary measure to ease the strain on holidaymakers.
“It is not a long-term solution. It is up to the companies to ensure that they are attractive employers, with decent conditions and wages,” Heil said.
