Frankfurt, March 12, (dpa/GNA) – A two-day strike by pilots at German airline Lufthansa began on Thursday.
Flight cancellations are expected to particularly affect the airline’s hubs in Munich and Frankfurt.
However, Lufthansa has said at least half of the scheduled flights, will operate on both strike days. On long-haul routes, up to 60% of flights are expected to take off.
The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit said, the walkout will be smaller in scale than the first wave of industrial action a month ago.
Union leader Andreas Pinheiro said he expects around 300 flight cancellations per day, which he said would be enough to achieve the desired impact.
Lufthansa said about 800 flights were cancelled during the first wave of strikes on February 12, in which the cabin crew union UFO also took part.
The airline has condemned the strike as an unnecessary escalation, especially at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty due to the war in Iran, which is impacting passengers worldwide.
Flights to the Middle East have been excluded from the strike action.
The union called on more than 5,000 pilots from Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Cityline to join the 48-hour strike.
The airline and the union remain divided over pay increases at the regional subsidiary CityLine and over higher company pensions for pilots at Lufthansa Cargo, and the core Lufthansa airline.
GNA