Mar 10, 2026, 6:34 p.mMar 10, 2026, 6:34 p.m
Lufthansa passengers have to prepare for the next big strike by pilots. The Cockpit Association union has called on more than 5,000 employees to go on strike for 48 hours this Thursday and Friday.
Lufthansa passengers have to prepare for a two-day strike.Image: keystone
Takeoffs from Germany by the Lufthansa core company, the cargo subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo and, for the first time, the regional company Lufthansa Cityline are at risk.
No strikes on flights to the Middle East
The Cockpit Association refrained from taking strike action last week due to the tense situation in air traffic to the Middle East. There should now be no strike on flights to the Arab region. The following destinations are expressly excluded from the industrial action: Egypt, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In the three airlines on strike, the pilots voted in favor of industrial action. At Eurowings, a corresponding vote will expire next Monday (March 16). Eurowings employees will therefore not take part in the strike this week.
This is already the second wave of strikes in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute at Lufthansa’s core company. On February 12th, the pilots stopped work for a day. More than 800 flights with around 100,000 passengers were canceled.
Goal: Negotiable offer
According to the union, the background to the industrial action is fruitless negotiations over company pensions at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo. According to VC President Andreas Pinheiro, there is still no offer.
The spokesman for the collective bargaining commission, Arne Karstens, explained: “Seven rounds of negotiations, long periods of reflection and even a mediation offer – the employer let all of this pass. Now we will only talk further when there is a negotiable offer.”
Cityline won’t be flying for much longer
Cityline handles regional feeder flights for the core company Lufthansa. It operates 30 jets and employs around 500 pilots. According to company management, the company’s flight operations are scheduled to end next year. By then, your connections will be transferred to the new, almost identically named subsidiary Lufthansa City Airlines.
According to VC, the impending closure 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 VC rejected an initial offer because it included a peace obligation until the end of 2027. (hkl/sda/awp/dpa)