Tens of thousands of Lufthansa passengers have seen their flights cancelled, after the airline’s pilots decided to go on strike earlier this week in protest of the early retirement scheme.
While the action was only supposed to last for a single day and affect primarily domestic and European flights, this has since been extended through to the weekend, and has begun targeting long-haul flights and cargo.
A Lufthansa spokesperson has reported that 84 of its scheduled 153 long-haul services were cancelled, affecting some 18,000 passengers.
In addition, the pilot’s union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has announced that today’s strike will also be extended to the carrier’s short and medium-haul services.
The last 12 months has been tumultuous for Lufthansa, as this most recent industrial action represents the 12th strike for the airline since April 2014. Passengers affected by delayed or cancelled flights have been notified via text messages as well as email.
Lufthansa has issued a statement denouncing the strike, stating that the decision to extend it was “completely incomprehensible”. The airline has published a special flight timetable on its website that reflects any changes to its services. Passengers are advised to check their flight status accordingly.
For more information, visit lufthansa.com
Clement Huang
