Lufthansa Strike Cancels 800 Flights, 100,000 Hit

Hundreds of Lufthansa flights were cancelled on Thursday after pilots and flight attendants went on strike, causing major disruption at Germany’s largest airline.

Lufthansa said nearly 800 flights were cancelled, affecting around 100,000 passengers. The airline called the situation extremely harsh for travellers and said it expects to return to its normal flight schedule on Friday.

Germany’s airport association ADV also estimated the disruption, saying more than 460 flights could be cancelled, impacting almost 70,000 passengers.

Flight information boards at Lufthansa’s main hubs, Frankfurt and Munich, showed most flights cancelled throughout the day, including several international and long-haul routes.

Lufthansa said it was trying to rebook passengers on its other airlines or partner carriers until normal operations resume.

The strike came on the same day as the Berlinale film festival began in Berlin, and just before the Munich Security Conference, which starts on Friday.

The walkout was organised by the pilots’ union VC and the flight attendants’ union UFO. Pilots are in dispute with Lufthansa’s main airline and its cargo division over pension and retirement benefits. The union said it was ready to strike after a vote held last year, demanding more generous retirement terms.

Although talks between the two sides have restarted, negotiations have remained irregular and have not produced a result.

Lufthansa said its core airline has been a long-term “problem child” and stated there is no financial room to meet the union’s demands.

Separately, the UFO union called on cabin crew at Lufthansa’s CityLine subsidiary to strike. The union is protesting the planned shutdown of CityLine flight operations and what it described as the company’s refusal to negotiate a collective social plan for employees.

UFO representative Harry Jaeger said the two strikes happening together was a coincidence but added it was helpful for the union’s pressure campaign. He said the goal was to target management, not passengers.