Strike at handling company Dnata at Geneva Airport

KLM has canceled a flight that was supposed to depart from Schiphol to Geneva in the morning. The Swiss news site Arc Info reports that a number of flights have been delayed.

Dubai National Air Travel Agency, as Dnata’s full name is, normally handles a quarter of the flights at Geneva Airport. Air France, KLM and British Airways, among others, use the company’s services. Dnata is owned by the Emirates Airlines Group.

Company employees believe they are paid too little and want a 5 percent pay increase, their union says. In addition, they want a bonus for physically demanding work and extra money for shifts at night or on Sundays. The strikers check every hour how long they will remain on strike, reports news site 20minutes.

Dnata tells the same site that it wants to work on an agreement with the staff. But the company considers any work stoppage “disproportionate” and “illegal”.

It was estimated that around 60,000 passengers would travel through Geneva airport on Sunday, just before Christmas. The airport apologizes to passengers for the inconvenience via social media.