FRANKFURT: Pilots at Lufthansa went on strike yesterday, forcing the German airline to cancel hundreds of flights, stranding holidaymakers. The airline said it had cancelled about 800 flights at its main bases in Frankfurt and Munich on Friday, affecting 130,000 passengers, and said it was working flat out to minimise the impact of the strike.
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.
Strikes and staff shortages have already forced several airlines, including Lufthansa, to cancel thousands of flights this summer, leading to long queues at major airports, frustrating people keen to start travelling again after Covid-19 lockdowns.
The VC union is demanding a 5.5 per cent pay rise this year and automatic inflation compensation thereafter as well as better terms for entry-level pilots.
Lufthansa has said VC’s demands would raise its staff costs by 40pc or around 900 million euros ($899m) over the next two years.
The airline has offered a total of 900 euros ($901.35) more in basic pay per month in two stages over an 18-month period, which it said would result in more than 18pc higher pay for entry-level jobs and 5pc more for senior positions.
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