Lufthansa cancels long-haul flights over pilot strike

Lufthansa cancelled almost half of its long-haul flights scheduled for today as pilots planned a fourth straight day of walkouts in a row over cost cuts and early retirement benefits.

Lufthansa wants to cut spending to levels nearer those of its rivals. It is squeezed by budget carriers Ryanair and easyJet on European routes and by airlines such as Turkish and Emirates on long-haul flights.

Strikes cost it over €200m in lost operating profit last year. Losses are mounting again as pilots prepare for their 15th walkout since last April.

Lufthansa cancelled 74 of 160 long-haul connections scheduled for today, affecting about 20,000 passengers. It also said it was scrapping almost 60% of cargo flights.

Yesterday, it cancelled 700 short and medium-distance flights, about half the scheduled services at its flagship carrier. It scrapped another 90 flights because of a separate strike by air traffic controllers in Italy.

Travellers also faced further disruption due to a walkout by Acciona airport service staff in Frankfurt.

Strikes in Germany are relatively rare, with employers and larger unions usually able to resolve issues at the negotiating table.

The airline’s dispute with pilots involves early retirement benefits that the VC pilots’ union wants to keep but which Lufthansa wants to change for new hires.