Lufthansa flights disrupted as strike enters day two

A Lufthansa workers' strike has entered its second day, with multiple unions taking job action this week and disrupting flights across Germany.

According to CTV, the airline's pilots' union, Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), called for a two-day strike beginning Monday (Apr. 13) as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and pensions. 

The action affects Lufthansa's main operations as well as subsidiaries CityLine and Eurowings Germany — though Eurowings pilots participated on Monday only — along with Lufthansa Cargo.

The strike comes amid a broader wave of labour unrest at the airline. 

Lufthansa has faced multiple strikes this year, including a separate walkout by cabin crew late last week that led to widespread cancellations.

That action resulted in the cancellation of about 80 to 90 per cent of flights at Lufthansa and CityLine.

Lufthansa has not shared absolute figures for cancellations, but hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of passengers are estimated to have been impacted.  

The VC union said certain routes would be excluded from the strike due to the situation in the Middle East. 

Flights to destinations including Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are not expected to be affected.

Separately, the UFO union has also announced a two-day cabin crew strike scheduled for April 15 and 16, impacting departures from all German airports, according to Reuters. 

Lufthansa says it is working to reduce disruption by operating some flights through other airlines within the Lufthansa Group and partner carriers. 

However, cancellations are expected and will be reflected in booking systems ahead of departure.

Flights operated by Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, SWISS, Air Dolomiti, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss and Lufthansa City Airlines are not affected by the cabin crew strike.

Passengers affected by disruptions will be contacted directly if their booking details are on file, and are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

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