Lufthansa has had to cancel hundreds of flights due to ongoing industrial unrest among the national airline’s pilots and flight attendants in Germany.
The pilots’ union, called Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), staged a 48-hour strike starting Monday, affecting not only the Lufthansa brand but also the airline’s cargo arm and even its regional carrier called CityLine. Eurowings pilots do not go on strike until Monday.
Frankfurt International Airport, which is Germany’s busiest airport, saw 570 canceled takeoffs and landings, most of which belonged to Lufthansa. This affected more than 50,000 passengers.
Lufthansa said two-thirds of its short- and medium-haul flights and half of its long-haul flights were grounded. Eurowings, another Lufthansa subsidiary, has flown just under 60% of its planned routes.
The strike is sparked by a disagreement over the company’s pension plan, where VC is demanding an increase in Lufthansa’s contributions by more than 100%. The airline called the request “absurd and unworkable.”
As a further aggravating factor, the UFO cabin crew union launched its two-day strike starting Wednesday, and Lufthansa is therefore facing four consecutive days of strike action.
However, according to the airline, flights to the Middle East will not be affected by the ongoing conflicts in Iran.
Lufthansa recommended exchanging tickets for train vouchers to minimize inconvenience for passengers, while criticizing the unnecessary strike. Union representatives, however, cited management’s reluctance to negotiate as a reason for the strike.
This strike is the fourth this year involving Lufthansa pilots.
