Hundreds of Lufthansa flights were grounded on Monday as pilots initiated a strike demanding better pay and pension conditions, marking the latest labor dispute at the German airline this year. The industrial action led to the cancellation of half of all long-distance flights and approximately two-thirds of short-haul services operated by Lufthansa, the group’s flagship carrier.
The strike also involved pilots working for Lufthansa’s subsidiaries CityLine and Eurowings, further intensifying the disruption. By Monday afternoon, the pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit, confirmed that more than 700 flights had been cancelled. The union emphasized its willingness to engage in negotiations, provided that the airline presents “realistic offers.”
In a significant development, this walkout follows a previous strike by pilots in mid-March. Meanwhile, on Saturday, a Lufthansa spokesperson dismissed the union’s demands for increased pay and pension benefits as “absurd and unfeasible.”
However, Andreas Pinheiro, president of Vereinigung Cockpit, countered that Lufthansa had failed to demonstrate any genuine intent to resolve the dispute during multiple negotiation rounds. He noted that despite the union’s decision to avoid strike action over the Easter holidays, the airline did not present any serious proposals.
Adding to the turmoil, Lufthansa’s cabin crew staged a strike last Friday, which resulted in the cancellation of nearly 90 percent of flights operated by Lufthansa and CityLine, the UFO cabin crew union.
