Germany faced strikes on several fronts on Thursday, as train drivers and airport workers walked off the job, causing chaos for millions of travellers and adding to the country's economic woes at a time of looming recession.

The strikes are the latest in a wave of industrial actions to hit Germany, where high inflation and staff bottlenecks have soured wage negotiations in key parts of the transport sector, including national rail, air travel and public transport.

Industry has warned about the costs of such strikes after Europe's largest economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in 2023.

A one-day nationwide rail strike costs €100 million in economic output, Michael Groemling, head of economic affairs at IW Koeln, said.

Train drivers began a fifth round of strikes in a long-running dispute at 2am (0100 GMT) after a walkout in the cargo division started on Wednesday evening.

Also on strike were airline ground staff at Lufthansa and security staff at some airports. These included Germany's busiest Frankfurt hub, whose operator Fraport said 650 of Thursday's 1,750 planned flights had been cancelled.

The train drivers' walkout, set to last until Friday afternoon, marks the beginning of a series of strikes planned by GDL as it pushes for reduced working hours at full pay.

"The motivation is high to follow through with the conditions that we have set as GDL members," said train driver Philipp Grams in Cologne. Just one in five long-distance trains was running, rail operator Deutsche Bahn said, but passengers showed some understanding. "I don't like it much, but if it makes a difference, if people want to change something, why not?" said Katerina Stepanenko.