Staff at Frankfurt airport were back at work as of Wednesday evening, ending a five-day strike that has affected services at Europe’s third busiest airport.

The dispute centred around pay for the ground staff who guide planes.

Airport operators Fraport, who have been using former ground crew to replace striking workers, have agreed to hold a new round of talks with the union on Thursday.

An increase in salary of up to 50 percent and shorter working hours are what is being pressed for by the GdF union which represents the striking staff.

GdF spokesman Markus Siebers was encouraged by the development: “Fraport’s offer to talk was very well received. The mood is almost relaxed. Obviously everyone was a little nervous. A strike is never easy for any of us. In the end, this was about reaching a deal and not about sitting here on strike for the next 15 weeks. We want resolution,” he said.

The strike, which was initially meant to last for two days, was extended by the union at the beginning of the week, causing around 1,000 flights to be cancelled – most of them European or domestic.