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Airport Chaos: A Matter of Understaffing and Queues
It's a headache for both passengers and staff, and Düsseldorf Airport isn't alone in this predicament. Keller, an aviation expert, pinpoints the root cause: "The current situation is a beast, especially for those on the ground. The issue stems from inefficient security check handling."
Overcrowded security checks aren't peculiar to Düsseldorf Airport. In June 2020, "German Security and Guard Service" (DSW) took over handling duties on behalf of the federal police at the airport, and since then, lengthy lines at security checks, particularly during peak holiday seasons, have become common. The city attributes this to a shortage of staff at DSW, who has up to 140 fewer control personnel per shift than planned. The airport is in discussions with the federal police, but they have no information on plans to beef up staff. From the airport's perspective, a second security service provider is imperative to tackle the root of the current crisis.
A federal police spokesperson previously spoke with Rheinische Post, acknowledging industry-wide personnel shortages without offering immediate solutions. They suggested dispersing flight schedules to avoid peak passenger concentrations and improving passenger volume predictions for staffing purposes. Addressing incorrectly packed hand luggage is another suggested fix.
Despite the challenges, the airport stands by the service provider. "Our airport staff may re-direct passengers to other gates if necessary, but this is not feasible when all security checks are overloaded due to understaffing," the airport stated. The airport collaborates with airlines to coordinate measures during peak times, such as early check-ins on busy days.
Major voices, like Düsseldorf's MP Zanda Martens (SPD), have raised concerns about private sector control, calling for the return of air security tasks to state hands. Martens asserts, "The problem lies in the private sector's profit-driven motives, they're cashing in on the state with little contribution of their own."
Düsseldorf Airport and similar German airports are confronting understaffing and long security queues using several tactical approaches, combining staffing, technology, and operational enhancements. These initiatives aim to improve recruitment, employ smart technologies, and optimize passenger flow management. However, the challenges persist due to a slow workforce growth rate compared to demand and the need for continuous investment in infrastructure and personnel development.
- The slow workforce growth rate compared to demand in the aviation industry is causing difficulties for airports like Düsseldeorf, necessitating efforts to enhance recruitment, implement smart technologies, and optimize passenger flow management in finance, business, and banking-and-insurance sectors.
- The private sector's control over security services, driven by profit motives, has raised concerns among influential voices like Düsseldorf's MP Zanda Martens (SPD), who advocates for a return of air security tasks to state hands in the aerospace sector to ensure more efficient and equitable service provision.
- The federal police have emphasized addressing industry-wide personnel shortages as a priority, suggesting potential solutions like dispersing flight schedules, improving passenger volume predictions, and addressing incorrectly packed hand luggage in the industry and banking-and-insurance sectors when discussing ways to mitigate long security queues at airports.
