Belgium - Brussels Airport closed

The Int'l Airport Brussels Zaventem is closed due to snow. Porbably reopen around noon with many delays and cancellations.

See the Airport website

UPDATE: The Airport reopens but only limited arrivals. Check the website for info!

US airports brace for a second snow storm

Check the FAA Flight Delay Information - Air Traffic Control System Command Center and/or your Airport/Airline.

US Flight Delay Information

US Airlines websites

France - Airport Toussus-le-Noble closed

The airport is closed this morning due to snow. Expect to reopen early afternoon.

Strikes at Munich and Nurnberg Airports

Translation by using Google Translate from German to English.

Travelers must bring to the airports of Munich and Nuremberg today patience. Because of warning strikes in public services leads to delays and cancellations of flights. In Nuremberg, where all takeoffs and landings were exposed to 8.00 clock, the flight operations resumed.

In Munich, where a strike to 12.00 clock, it comes to initial delays in departure. Some machines have now been canceled. The trade union Verdi, which had called for the warning strike, estimates the number of strikers to 150 in Munich Most of them work in the baggage claim area or at the ground traffic.

As with the strike of 6.00 until 8.00 clock in Nuremberg, the Fire Department participated in the actions, there have been canceled all flights. Without a minimum occupation should not be flown for safety reasons.

Greek unions vow to fight austerity cuts - Strike on Wednesday

Greek public works on Monday vowed to defy government austerity plans aiming to save more than one billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) this year as the country confronts a grave debt crisis. Ahead of a strike on Wednesday, ADEDY civil servants union chairman Spyros Papaspyros said: "We are aware of the difficult economic situation...but targeting the incomes of employees and pensioners is just the easy way out."

Wednesday's industrial action will paralyse ministries, local administration and tax offices. Air travel will also be disrupted as air traffic controllers will join ADEDY's one-day strike, their union told AFP. The strike will take place on Wednesday from 00.01 until 23.59 hr. local time. All flights to and from Greece are due to be grounded.

Another nationwide strike by private sector staff is slated for February 24.

Vietnam - Indochina Airlines suspends service

Indochina Airlines Joint-Stock Co., the first private airline to run flights in Vietnam, suspended service and is seeking more funding by November to resume operations after the government revoked its traffic rights.

“If we are unable to raise more funding before November, we may have to file for bankruptcy,” Le Hong Pho, managing director of the Hanoi-based airline said by telephone. The company is currently calling for investment, he said, declining to comment on how much money he was seeking.

Spain’s air traffic controllers break off negotiations with AENA
President of AENA, Juan Ignacio Lema, has announced that negotiations with air traffic controllers to reach some agreement on the development of a new agreement have broken" down. If a solution isn’t reached controllers will work only their 1,200 basic hours a year, though the union doesn’t plan to call a full strike, Lopez said at a separate press conference in the Spanish capital.
“If Aena doesn’t want our services for those extra hours from April it will have to find its own solution,” he said.

Spain's government says it is using emergency legislation to rein in its air traffic controllers, who earn up to euro 900,000 a year in a country suffering a recession and nearly 20 percent unemployment. Development Minister Jose Blanco said the new law will return the sector to Spain's public airport authority, AENA. Blanco said the high annual salaries -- an average of euro375,000 a year -- defeat the government's goal of cutting costs. He said the emergency legislation became active Friday with the king's signature, and he predicted parliament would support the measure.

France - Airport Nantes closed

Due to aircraft accident the runway at the Airport Nantes Atlantique was closed this afternoon.

For actual delays etc: See the Nantes Airport website

East Coast Is Hit by ‘Potentially Epic Snowstorm’

WASHINGTON — One of the largest winter storms the Mid-Atlantic region has seen in decades swept into Washington and Baltimore on Friday, grounding flights, closing schools and government offices, and sending residents racing to stock up on groceries and rock salt before the snow accumulated to what are expected to be record-setting depths.

Check the FAA Flight Delay Information - Air Traffic Control System Command Center and/or your Airport/Airline.

US Flight Delay Information

Istanbul airport on schedule, no delays due to one-day strike

Istanbul's busy Atatürk Airport has not been affected by the countrywide general strike because members of the Turkish Civilian Aviation Union, or Hava-İş, are not participating in the de facto general strike taking place on Thursday.

Members of Hava-İş received an internal memo from Turkish Airlines indicating that the company would terminate the work contracts of strikers.

Germany - New round of public worker strikes hit air and commuter traffic

Temporary strikes by public workers continued into a second day on Thursday, delaying flights and crippling public transportation across the country just as the morning rush began.

Ground personnel at airports in Düsseldorf and Cologne walked off their jobs as the morning shift began. No flight cancellations were reported, but public workers’ union Verdi predicted there would be major delays as the day continued.

Stockholm Skavsta Airport closed.

Due to snow, the airport Stockholm Skavsta is closed. Many flights cancelled or delayed.

See Skavsta website

Denmark - Copenhagen Airport hit by strike

Copenhagen’s Kastrup airport has been hit by an unofficial strike from employees upset at canteen outsourcing plans

An unofficial work stoppage at Copenhagen Airport this afternoon has left thousands facing flight delays.

A large number of airport staff, including security personnel, have walked off the job and are attending union meetings in protest against plans to outsource two employee canteens.

Other employees who have downed tools include baggage handlers, the fire department, cleaning crews, technicians and drivers.

See the Copenhagen Airport webcam

Update: the work stoppage is over, but still many delays. See the Airport website

Strike notice filed by PAL union

A STRIKE NOTICE has been filed by employees of Philippine Airlines (PAL) over a cost-cutting plan aimed at stabilizing the flag carrier’s finances.

But going to the picket lines remains a last option, the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) said, noting that the strike notice is primarily aimed at getting the government involved in settling a dispute over the airline’s plans.

ITALY – February 2010 Strikes

Transport is one of Italy's most strike-prone sectors, at the same time as being covered by legislation (law 146, 1990) regulating strikes in essential public services. A strike must be announced and because of the "announcement effect", a strike call can cause considerable disruption, even though the strike itself is cancelled.

04.02.2010 05.00-13.00 Dussmann Service (Catering/Cleaning) - Aeroporto G.Marconi di Bologna CANCELLED
05.02.2010 10.00-14.00 Airone CityLiner
05.02.2010 10.00-14.00 Alitalia & Airone
05.02.2010 10.00-14.00 Alitalia - Personal Genova
05.02.2010 10.00-14.00 Meridiana – Flight attendants CANCELLED
16.02.2010 12.00-16.00 ENAV (Air traffic control) - Palermo
16.02.2010 12.00-16.00 Eurofly
16.02.2010 00.00-24.00 Giacchieri Rome (www.giacchieri.com )
16.02.2010 12.00-16.00 Gruppo Meridiana - Eurofly – Flight attendants and ground personal
16.02.2010 00.00-24.00 Meridiana – Pilots
16.02.2010 12.00-16.00 Alitalia – Pilots and Flight attendants NEW

Airport Budapest closed

Budapest Ferihegy Int'l Airport is closed from 09.00 until 11.00 due to snow cleaning the runways

High delays at Brussels Int'l Airport

High delays and due to snow. The airport was also partly closed this morning until 09.00 utc.

See Brussels Airport website

Metal Workers' Protest Closes Italian Airport Cagliari

Around 300 Italian workers protesting against plans to temporarily close an aluminum factory in Sardinia occupied Cagliari airport on Jan. 29, forcing its closure, Italian media reported.

Flights to and from the Mediterranean island were diverted to the nearby airports of Alghero and Olbia.

Nagpur Airport staffers' strike from today

NAGPUR: Be prepared to face inconvenience if you are scheduled to fly from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport of the city in the nextfew days. A majority of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) staffers, who at present are working under the joint venture company Mihan India Private Limited (MIPL), will go on indefinite 'pen down' and 'tool down' strike from January 29.

"All employees (221) attached with fire, engineering, civil, administration and maintenance departments at Nagpur airport, excluding 120 staffers from communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) and area traffic management (ATM), working under the newly-formed MIPL will join the strike," said JJ Goswami, secretary of Airport Authority of Employees Union.

Easter travel chaos warning by Spain's air traffic controllers

Spanish air traffic controllers are threatening to disrupt Easter holidays with a strike over pay. A union representing the flight controllers has issued a veiled threat to "covertly strike" in the run up to Easter in an ongoing battle over employment contracts.

Spain's state airport operator is currently negotiating with the air traffic controllers over a new contract which will freeze wages and limit overtime when the current agreement runs out at the end of March. A public statement made by the controllers' union rejected the cuts and warned that it would lead to undercover industrial action during the Easter week.

Ethiopian airliner crashes off Lebanon

An Ethiopian airliner with 90 people aboard crashed into the Mediterranean Sea minutes after takeoff from Lebanon early Monday. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 left Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut about 2:30 a.m. and was headed to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Chicago Truckers threaten to shut airports
Two thousand Chicago truck drivers are expected to vote next week to authorize a strike that could cripple such vital city services as snow removal, garbage collection and airport operations to protest Mayor Daley's decision to reduce their hours and "ignore" their contract. If city truck drivers go on strike, snow removal and garbage pick-up would grind to a halt, and O'Hare and Midway could be "shut down" because only Federal Aviation Administration-approved drivers with certified background checks can drive on the tarmac and clear snow and ice from runways.

Irish Air traffic controllers threaten strike repeat
Air traffic controllers have threatened to repeat the massive disruption which grounded more than 150 flights in and out of the Irish Republic on Wednesday.
Trade union Impact blamed the Irish Aviation Authority for the mass stoppage after it suspended 14 air traffic controllers for refusing to accept new working arrangements.
A union spokesman said: "In the event that those suspended workers are not immediately reinstated and there are further suspensions, then the likelihood is that there will be further work stoppages.

UPDATE: Airport workers agree to put strike on hold
However, 'Impact' has not ruled out future work stoppages if more controllers are suspended.

France - Five million to strike on thursday.

Unions organize Thursday some 120 demonstrations across France, including Paris, Lille and Toulouse. Some 5 million civil servants are called to a national strike. About 120 events are organized in France, including three in Paris, Lille and Toulouse. All the left parties, the Socialist Party to Fight working through the PCF and the Greens will participate Thursday in demonstrations to defend the public service and fight against job cuts and reforms of the current state. 

Due to strike affecting French Civil Aviation Services, some disturbances will affect French Air Traffic Service.

Man flees in Munich airport laptop explosives alert

A passenger fled from security officers after his laptop computer bag tested positive for explosives at an airport in Munich, the country's federal police told CNN on Wednesday.

Police said they are searching for the passenger, who fled from the secure area of the airport into the public area of Terminal 2, police said. Part of the airport has been shut down.

All planes in that area of Terminal 2 were evacuated and all luggage was removed, police said. Flights leaving Terminal 2 were shown as delayed on the airport's Web site, but flights from Terminal 1 appeared to be running as scheduled.

UPDATE: Munich airport reopens - Around 60 domestic and international flights were delayed or cancelled.

British Airways staff will NOT strike over Easter

There was relief for holidaymakers today as British Airways cabin crew ruled out taking strike action over Easter.

There were fears of a crippling strike during the busy holiday period after union leaders for the airline's cabin crew said they would hold a vote on industrial action next week. Len McCluskey, Unite's assistant general secretary, said: 'It was never the intention of Unite and its BA cabin crew membership to call industrial action over Easter.

'I want to make it abundantly clear that, if industrial action receives the required mandate from the members and strike action is made necessary by continuing management intransigence, we will not call such action over the Easter holiday period.'

'We are making this announcement now so families can plan their travel arrangements in confidence.'

Stuttgart Airport closed.

The airport will be closed until probably 00.00 utc after a small cargo plane was skidding of the runway.

See the Stuttgart Airport webcam

UPDATE JAN 20. Airport reopened but still some delays.

See the Stuttgart Airport website

Irish Air traffic controllers to strike

Flights in and out of the Irish Republic face massive disruption on Wednesday as air traffic controllers are to strike over new work practices.

Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports will shut down for up to four hours with aviation chiefs and airlines demanding the crippling stoppage be called off.

Budget airline Ryanair, which is cancelling 48 flights affecting some 6000 passengers, called on military air traffic controllers to step in and keep the airports open.

Ryanair and Aer Lingus Cancel Some Flights

See the Ryanair message about cancellations

See the Aer Lingus website

See the Irish Airport websites

British Airways Faces Fresh Strike Vote by Cabin Crew
British Airways Plc’s faces a strike ballot of its 13,000 flight attendants next week after talks with the Unite union on staffing levels broke down. Negotiations ended on Jan. 15 and no date has been set for a further meeting.
The vote is expected to take a month to organise and if nearly 13,000 cabin crew approve a walkout, as is widely expected, a strike could be held from around 4 March onwards.

Israel - Storm knocks out bridges; Eilat closes airport

Winter storm has caused wadis in the Negev to overflow, and forced the Eilat and Uvda (Ovda) airports to cancel flights.

Fog delays over 100 flights at IGI
New Delhi, Jan 17  Dense fog badly disrupted flight operations at the IGI airport for the fourth consecutive day today, throwing schedules of over 100 domestic and international flights haywire and causing inconvenience scores of air travellers.

Eight (six international and two domestic) flights were diverted to Jaipur, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, 26 domestic flights were cancelled and 22 others had to be rescheduled as the airport remained enveloped by fog for more than 15 hours, an airport official said. About 50 other domestic and international flights were delayed by up to four to five hours.

JFK terminal being evacuated after security breach
A terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport was evacuated Saturday after a security breach, officials said.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman Steve Coleman said travelers at Kennedy's Terminal 8 were asked to leave so they could be re-screened. He didn't describe the breach.

Terminal 8 handles both domestic and international flights for American Airlines.

A spokesman for the airline, Charley Wilson, said the breach happened at around 3 p.m. Some flights were being delayed, and two American planes that had landed were waiting on the tarmac for permission to proceed to their gates.

Wilson wasn't sure how long it would take to fully reopen the terminal.

New Walkout Threat at Helsinki Airport

Baggage handlers at Helsinki Airport have again threatened to walkout. This time the bone of contention is over missing overtime pay. Luggage handlers employed by staffing company Barona say the company has skimped on paying for extra hours.

Baggage handlers and luggage pileups have made headlines since handlers became involved in a labour dispute a few months ago. Finnair has blamed recent baggage pileups on the snowy conditions. However, luggage-handling union representatives point the finger at staff shortages due to layoffs.

UPDATE: Another walkout by baggage handlers at Helsinki Airport began on Monday evening. The job action initially involved 20 employees of ISS Aviation, which handles luggage for Blue1, Lufthansa, SAS and other airlines. It is expected to last until 9 am Tuesday.

Lufthansa pilots start strike ballot

The pilots of Lufthansa will decide this week in a ballot on an indefinite strike. The result of the ballot will known in February, since the vote is expected to last four weeks.

The exact date for the start of voting was not fixed yet.