Paphos 16th nov

[caaardiff]

Anyone know whats happening in PFO today?
Had heard rumour of strikes, looking at the PFO website, no Thomson flights have departed this afternoon.

[Flightwatch]

From the Cyprus Mail website:-

Paphos Airport strike affects 14 flights

19:30 AROUND 100 Swissport ground–handling staff employees at Paphos airport staged an impromptu strike from 4pm today, after a dispute with the company’s management over a plan to dismiss seven employees and reduce shifts for the remaining workers.

The strike has so far affected 14 flights, which had to be diverted to Larnaca, inconveniencing hundreds of passengers.

SEK Union representative Petros Demosthenes said the strike would last until the employees’ concerns were alleviated.

Hermes Airports spokesman Adamos Aspris apologised to the public over the strike measures by the Swissport employees.

[Flightwatch]

Today's update - again from the Cyprus Mail.

HUNDREDS of passengers were stranded at Paphos airport last night one of one of its busiest evenings of the week, when ground handlers from Swissport staged an impromptu strike.

The industrial action was taken after a dispute with the company’s management over a plan to dismiss seven employees and reduce shifts for the remaining workers.

Around 100 workers took part in the action which left hundreds of passengers stranded at the airport - on one of the facilities busiest days of the week.

Several incoming flights were diverted to Larnaca but outgoing passengers were stuck. Reports suggested that 14 flights had been affected.

Coaches used for transferring holidaymakers filled the airport car park last night as hundreds of passengers waited in groups outside. Inside, hundreds more waited for news regarding delays to their flights.

Don and Joyce Smith from Lincolnshire were due to board a Thomson’s East Midland flight, after a Thomson holiday, which included a cruise and a break in Paphos.

Joyce said: “As we were coming to the airport on our coach we were informed that the baggage handlers had just gone on strike but of course we were already on the way.”

According to Joyce, the stranded holidaymakers were being dealt with in descending flight order.

“The inbound Manchester flight has been diverted to Larnaca because handlers are working there and the people who were waiting for an outbound Manchester flight will be taken to Larnaca to fly out from there on the plane which had just flown in. But at the moment, nobody else seems to know what we’re doing,” said Joyce.

Her husband added: “They are taking people who flew into Paphos to go on a cruise- onto their destination to board their ship, but their luggage has stayed on board the aircraft, and hopefully it will catch up with them tomorrow morning.”

The pair added that announcements via the airports system were informing passengers that they would be taken to a hotel overnight.

“That’s what we’re waiting for now but we’re not sure when that will happen.”

They added: “The people we feel sorry for are the families with small children as it must be difficult for them.”

After a two-week holiday in Cyprus, Elaine and Jerry Mottershead from Nottinghamshire said they were ‘more than a bit miffed’ that their Thompson East Midlands flight number 7319 had not taken off as scheduled at 7.20pm.

“They’ve just said that we are all going to hotels to be put up over night and will hopefully be flying out to the UK tomorrow.”

Jerry stressed: “This is really not a nice end to our holiday and its chaotic here.”

He added: “Even though they are making announcements, there does seem to be a general lack of satisfactory information and we are still left here in a queue, waiting.”

But some passengers were relying on British humour to get them through the crisis.

Mike Maddison, also bound for East Midlands said: “There are good jobs going here at the airport for baggage handlers, but you’ve got to start immediately.”

He added: “There’s nothing you can do in situations like this, it’s out of our hands. We’re being put up in accommodation and they’re looking after us.”

But a number of young families didn’t share his point of view.

One disgruntled mother of two children said: “There are seven or us in our party and three young children (aged 2, 3 and 7) and it has been very stressful. We have been on a week’s holiday in Paphos and our Thomson flight to Birmingham was due to leave at 7.25pm.When we arrived at the airport we were told to stay on our coach as the baggage handlers had gone on strike. Later we went into the airport and we have been sitting in this queue ever since.”

She added: “The children are hungry and although half hourly announcement via the airports announcement system said that passengers would be transferred to hotels, nothing else seems to be happening.”

She continued: “It’s a nightmare and I’m quite cross about the lack of information. The messages say that all seven flights are not leaving and we will be transferred but we’ve been waiting for more than three hours.”

The distraught mum said because it was the end of their holiday they only had a few euros left “and we don’t know what we will have to pay for yet.”

Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas met with Swissport at the airport at around 8pm in a bid to bring the action to a swift conclusion.

He remained tight lipped over the strike action merely saying: “I have been trying to ensure a swift outcome to the situation to ensure operations are running smoothly again as soon as possible.”

SEK Union representative Petros Demosthenes said the strike would last until the employees’ concerns were alleviated.

Hermes Airports spokesman Adamos Aspris apologised to the public over the strike measures by the Swissport employees

And now it's all over.

11:51 Swissport’s impromptu strike has ended and Paphos airport has returned to normal operation, Hermes Airports PR manager Adamos Aspris said this morning.

“There was a stoppage but this is now over” Aspris said.

"Hermes Airports wishes to reiterate its regret to the traveling public about the difficulties and inconvenience suffered as a result of yesterday's spontaneous strike by Swissport employees."