February 26, 2026, 12:31 p.mFebruary 26, 2026, 12:31 p.m
Another part of the pilots in the Lufthansa Group has prepared to strike. A strike vote by the Cockpit Association (VC) union resulted in 99 percent of the votes cast at the Lufthansa Cityline subsidiary supporting a possible industrial action. According to the union, 95 percent of the members called took part in the vote.
According to company management, Cityline flight operations are scheduled to end next year.Image: keystone
The union initially did not give a specific strike date. At Lufthansa’s core company, the pilots stopped work for a day two weeks ago. More than 800 flights with around 100,000 passengers were canceled. Here, too, there was a preliminary vote.
Cityline will soon cease operations
Cityline handles regional feeder flights for the core company Lufthansa. It operates 30 jets and employs around 500 pilots. According to company management, Cityline flight operations are scheduled to end next year. By then, your connections will be transferred to the new company subsidiary Lufthansa City Airlines.
According to VC, this circumstance has nothing to do with the ongoing collective bargaining. The union has called for compensation adjustments of 3.3 percent annually for 2024, 2025 and 2026. The employer last made an offer on Wednesday. According to VC President Andreas Pinheiro, it falls further short of the demands and includes a peace obligation until the end of 2027. “The VC would therefore be effectively unable to act with regard to the Cityline.”
At the parent company, the collective bargaining dispute revolves around the company pensions of around 4,800 cockpit employees. Coordinated actions in both flight operations can now be expected, especially since a joint tariff commission decides on this.
Lufthansa CityLine was founded in 1958.Image: keystone
Lufthansa suggests an external moderator
After the strike at the core company, Lufthansa proposed cost-neutral reforms to the company pension system and then discussed the basic organization of flight operations with the help of an external moderator. The career opportunities of the individual pilots also depend on this. The company says they are also in talks with the cabin union UFO about a collective agreement.
The VC initially reacted negatively to the management’s new initiative. She has long criticized the group’s strategy of putting pressure on working conditions at the older group companies with new flight operations such as City Airlines and Discover. However, for legal reasons, in the negotiations it concentrates solely on demands that can be regulated by a collective agreement. (sda/awp/dpa)