️ Pilots at Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa, along with Lufthansa Cargo and subsidiary Eurowings, began a 48-hour strike on Monday morning. Members of the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union are striking on Monday and Tuesday, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights. The major hubs of Frankfurt and Munich have been hit hardest, marking the fourth strike at the airline in 2026.
️ The strikes have been compounded by another challenge for Lufthansa: the UFO cabin crew union has called on its members to strike on Wednesday and Thursday. This means Lufthansa could face four consecutive days of disruptions. UFO's chief negotiator Harry Jaeger stated, "The strike on Friday was a clear signal. If the employer does not respond to it, then this signal will necessarily get louder."
️ The pilots' strike centers on pay disputes, including the company pension scheme and remuneration issues at the regional subsidiary CityLine. VC President Andreas Pinheiro said, "Vereinigung Cockpit sees itself as forced into this step, after the employer showed no recognizable willingness for a solution in several wage disputes." Lufthansa, however, criticized the union's core demand, calling it "absurd and unfulfillable" to double "an already above-average and excellent company pension plan."
️ The strikes do not affect flights to the Middle East, as VC has exempted flights from Germany to Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen from the strike action, citing travel uncertainty due to the conflict in Iran and the wider region. Lufthansa said it is working to minimize the impact on passengers by trying to have as many flights as possible operated by other airlines within the group and partner airlines, and advised passengers with canceled flights to exchange tickets for Deutsche Bahn rail tickets.
️ VC and UFO have already coordinated one simultaneous strike earlier this year. If this week's strike plans hold, by the end of Thursday, Lufthansa will have faced strike action from one of the two unions on five consecutive workdays. This situation highlights the escalating labor tensions and economic strains at Germany's largest airline, amid broader challenges in the European aviation sector.
Source: www.dw.com