A fresh two-day strike by pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine began at midnight, threatening disruption at Germany’s main hubs and adding to earlier industrial action this year. Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), the pilots’ union, called the stoppage to press for higher wages for CityLine staff and improved company pension terms for pilots at Lufthansa Cargo and the core Lufthansa carrier.
Lufthansa said it handled the first day of the walkout better than previous strikes, keeping more than half of scheduled flights operating and expecting up to 60% of long-haul services to run. The airline reported that several hundred pilots volunteered for duty, that sister carriers Discover and City Airlines were used to cover some routes, and that larger aircraft were deployed where available to maintain capacity.
The pilots’ union gave a far different account. VC estimated that about 70% of scheduled Lufthansa flights within Germany were grounded by mid-afternoon, a much higher disruption than the airline’s figures suggested. Frankfurt operator Fraport recorded 426 cancellations out of 1,168 planned takeoffs — a 36% cancellation rate largely attributable to Lufthansa — while Munich logged 230 cancellations out of 800 scheduled flights. VC’s leader, Andreas Pinheiro, said he expected roughly 300 cancellations per day this time, versus about 800 cancellations during last month’s broader walkout that also involved cabin crew.
Lufthansa condemned the action as an unnecessary escalation and warned of further negative effects on passengers already affected by turbulence in global aviation amid the Middle East conflict. The union excluded flights to the Middle East from the industrial action.
The latest walkout follows a strike day in February that VC said grounded 93% of Lufthansa planes and disrupted about 100,000 passengers. The union says the current action is more targeted but forms part of ongoing labour tensions as pilots press for better pay and pension conditions across group subsidiaries.
Context and wider developments
– The strike comes against a backdrop of broader economic and geopolitical strain in Germany and Europe. The Ifo Institute warned that rising crude oil and natural gas prices driven by the Middle East war could weaken Germany’s recovery, lowering GDP growth prospects and increasing inflation risks if energy costs remain high.
– Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled to Norway to discuss cooperation on space, defence and energy, visiting the Andøya Spaceport and observing NATO exercises alongside Norway’s prime minister.
– Other German headlines on March 12 included the arrest in Barcelona of a German tourist accused of leaving a Mallorca hotel without paying a roughly €6,000 bill; a new report on clerical abuse in the Paderborn archbishopric naming hundreds of suspected perpetrators and victims; a Düsseldorf court sentencing a former IS member to 4.5 years in prison; a small easing in fuel prices after a recent spike; and BMW reporting a third consecutive year of profit decline in 2025, though the fall was smaller than expected.
Passengers and advice
Travellers booked on Lufthansa flights were urged to check the airline’s website and any direct communications for the latest schedule updates, as further cancellations or changes were possible during the two-day action. Passengers were advised to confirm connections and consider alternative arrangements where feasible.