Pilots at Lufthansa went on strike today, forcing the German airline to cancel hundreds of flights.
The airline said it had cancelled about 800 flights at its main bases in Frankfurt and Munich today, affecting 130,000 passengers, and it was working flat out to minimise the strike’s impact.
Labour union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) had called on more than 5,000 Lufthansa pilots to stage a 24-hour walkout, saying the latest round of wage talks had failed.
“We cannot understand VC’s call for a strike,” said chief HR officer Michael Niggemann, Lufthansa Airline.
“The management has made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the continuing burdens of the Covid crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy. This escalation comes at the expense of many thousands of customers.”
The VC union is demanding a 5.5% pay rise this year, automatic inflation compensation, and better terms for entry-level pilots.
Eurowings and Eurowings Discover flights have not been affected and will operate as normal.
