Flight cancellations at Hamburg Airport after a surprise strike by workers have affected more than 40,000 passengers.

Thousands of flights and over half a million passengers will be affected by a 24- hour strike at several big airports in Germany. Trade union Verdi has called the strike over a wage dispute.Strikes have hit key airports in Germany,

By Friederike Heine BERLIN (Reuters) -Nearly all of Germany's airports will be hit by a 24-hour strike on Monday, likely impacting hundreds of thousands of passengers, after trade union Verdi called for employees in the public sector and ground handling to walk out.

The airport in Germany’s second largest city said the one-day strike, called over pay and conditions, began earlier than expected “without any notice.”

Berlin’s airport has canceled all of its flights for Monday ahead of a labor union strike that's expected to impact thousands of flights at 11 airports across Germany.

Germany's Verdi union has brought forward the planned warning strike at Hamburg airport by one day, largely paralysing air traffic on Sunday.

The United Services Trade Union (ver.di) has called for a full-day strike that will affect almost all major airports in Germany, leading to severe disruptions in their operations.

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Ground staff walked out "without prior notice," hours before a 24-hour strike was due to begin at a dozen German airports.

The walkout, which reportedly took place with only about a half-hour advance notice, came before a broader series of preannounced strikes across 13 airports in Germany on Monday.