Lufthansa to cancel 800 flights due to pilots' strike; likely to affect 130,000 passengers

German flag carrier Lufthansa has cancelled almost all flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich for Friday due to a pilots' union strike.

The strike, which was announced by the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) from 12:01 am to 11.59 pm on Friday, will have a massive impact on flight operations amidst the return of the main travel period at the end of the school holidays in Germany and other European countries.

Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo departures at German airports were affected.

As per an airline spokesperson, Lufthansa has to cancel 800 flights at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich for Friday, with single flights also cancelled on Thursday.

An estimated 130,000 passengers will be affected, in view of the upcoming weekend, the end of the holidays in some parts of Europe.

Lufthansa is working with joint forces to return its flight operations to a normal status as quickly as possible.

Nevertheless, the effects of the strike may still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays on Saturday and Sunday, it said.

Meanwhile, Eurowings and Eurowings Discover are not affected by the strike call and are scheduled to operate as planned.

Affected passengers will be informed immediately and rebooked on alternative flights if possible.

Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG said: "We cannot understand VC's call for a strike. 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 Group has presented an offer with an 18-month term, in which pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo will receive a total of 900 euros more in basic pay per month in two stages.

This will benefit entry-level salaries in particular.

An entry-level co-pilot will receive more than 18 per cent additional basic pay over the duration of the agreement, while a captain in the final stage will receive 5 per cent.

With the agreement for the ground staff, the Group has shown that it is prepared to make significant pay increases.

As an alternative, VC has been offered the option of allocating all or part of this volume elsewhere, for example for structural changes such as adjustments to the pay scale.