Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Germany as airport workers stage a nationwide strike over pay, posing a major disruption for air travellers. The industrial action, led by the trade union Verdi, began unexpectedly on Sunday at Hamburg Airport, before expanding to a nationwide strike.

The one day walk out has already left thousands of flights grounded at hubs including Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich.

More than half a million people are facing travel disruption at German airports on Monday where a 24-hour strike has led to thousands of flight cancellations in a dispute about workers' pay. The operator of Frankfurt airport,

Strike action grounded thousands of flights in Germany on Monday, including all connections to and from Berlin, as the service sector union called on workers to walk out for better pay.The Verdi union said Friday it was calling on public sector workers and some 23,