The management of Lufthansa, a German flag carrier, has announced its decision to cancel almost all passenger and cargo flights over.
In a statement released on Thursday, September 1, 2022, Lufthansa cited the planned strike by its pilots, as it canceled flights, particularly flights from its two biggest hubs, Frankfurt and Munich in Germany.
The pilots were said to have concluded plans to embark on a day-long strike tomorrow (Friday, September 2), as they lamented the rejection of some demands, including pay increment.
Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), a union representing Lufthansa pilots, demanded a 5.5% pay rise this year for its more than 5,000 pilots and an automatic above-inflation increase in 2023.
The union also stated that its members are seeking a new pay and holiday structure that the airline said would increase its staffing costs by about 40%, or about £900 million over two years.
“We have not received a sufficient offer today either. This is sobering and a missed opportunity,” Matthias Baier, spokesperson, VC, said.
The union also accused Lufthansa of failing to improve on their previous offers, leaving pilots with no choice but to go on strike to press their demands.
But the statement in which it announced the flights’ cancellation, a Lufthansa spokesperson was quoted to have said “We hope to get back to negotiations as soon as possible.”
Lufthansa and its labour challenges
This is not the first time strikes and staff shortages would force Lufthansa to cancel flights and cause hours-long queues at major airports, frustrating travellers.
Just early last month (September), the ground staff at Deutsche Lufthansa embarked on strike, a development that triggered the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.
