Pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and subsidiary Eurowings began a 48-hour strike on Monday morning. The UFO cabin crew union announced a separate stoppage shortly afterward, saying it will strike from midnight Wednesday until 23:59 on Thursday — a move that could extend disruption to four consecutive days.
Hundreds of flights were canceled on Monday, with Frankfurt and Munich, the airline’s largest hubs, hit hardest. Frankfurt Airport warned of delays and cancellations throughout April 13 and 14, and several domestic routes were being replaced by rail services. Munich’s departures boards showed only flights that remained scheduled and urged passengers to check with their carriers for updates.
Eurowings pilots are striking only on Monday. Pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo who were called out by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) were instructed to strike for two days. VC membership is not universal among pilots, so actual participation may vary.
VC announced exemptions for flights to destinations in the Middle East because of the ongoing conflict in Iran and the Gulf. Flights from Germany to Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen were excluded from the action.
Lufthansa said it is “working intensively to keep the impact on our passengers as low as possible,” attempting to operate services via other airlines within the Lufthansa Group and partner carriers. The airline advised passengers whose flights were canceled that they could exchange tickets for Deutsche Bahn rail journeys.
The dispute centers on pay, the company pension scheme and remuneration at regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine. Lufthansa criticized VC’s demand to double its company pension plan as “absurd and unfulfillable.” VC President Andreas Pinheiro said the union felt “forced into this step” after what he described as the employer’s unwillingness to find a solution in several wage disputes. VC noted it had refrained from striking over the Easter holidays but received no serious offers from the company.
UFO’s chief negotiator Harry Jaeger said the latest action follows strong member participation in a recent strike and accused Lufthansa of taking a hardline stance. VC and UFO coordinated a joint strike once earlier this year; if this week’s plans go ahead, one of the unions will have staged action on five consecutive workdays against Lufthansa.
This is the fourth major strike at the airline in 2026. Middle Eastern routes are being kept operational amid regional tensions, while Lufthansa continues efforts to reroute or substitute services to reduce disruption for passengers.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse