Pilots for German airline Lufthansa will go on strike on Thursday amid a dispute over pension benefits, their union announced.
The industrial action, called by the Vereinigung Cockpit union, will affect flights operated under the Lufthansa brand as well as the Lufthansa Cargo freight division, a union spokesperson told AFP on Tuesday.
In a separate statement, the cabin crew union UFO said it has also called on Lufthansa CityLine staff to strike during the same period.
“The industrial action affects all flights departing from German airports between 00:01 and 23:59 local time,” the pilots’ union said.
Andreas Pinheiro, president of Vereinigung Cockpit, said staff “would have very much liked to avoid an escalation.”
“After our members held a strike ballot in September, we deliberately gave Lufthansa several months to come up with a solution,” he added.
The pilots are demanding improved retirement benefits, while Lufthansa argues that cost-cutting measures are necessary to manage its debt burden.
In September, Lufthansa announced plans to cut 4,000 jobs—nearly four per cent of its workforce.
The airline’s earnings fell by around one-fifth in 2024, the most recent full year available, as it was hit by industrial action, aircraft delivery delays and rising operating costs. Its profitability has since lagged behind that of leading European rivals.
The UFO union said it called the strike “in view of the publicly announced closure of Lufthansa CityLine’s flight operations and the employer’s continued refusal to negotiate a collective social plan.”
Lufthansa announced a year ago that it would close Lufthansa CityLine, with operations and staff to be transferred to a new subsidiary.
