Lufthansa union calls two-day pilot strike from April 13: What travellers should know

Pilots at Lufthansa have called a two-day strike starting April 13, which is expected to disrupt flight operations across the airline’s network. The action follows a breakdown in talks over pensions, with the union saying no acceptable offer has been made, according to a Reuters report.

The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine will strike from April 13, 0001 CET to April 14, 2359 CET. Pilots at subsidiary Eurowings have also been asked to strike on April 13.

Flights to Middle East not affected

The union said flights to several destinations in the Middle East will be exempt from the strike. These include Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.


VC President Andreas Pinheiro said, “The Cockpit union feels compelled to take this step after the employers' side showed no real willingness to reach a solution in several collective bargaining disputes.”

He added, “Despite our deliberate decision not to take strike action over the Easter holidays, no serious offers have been made.”

Passengers may face flight cancellations and delays across Lufthansa’s network during the strike period. The airline has said the move marks a “completely new level of escalation” in the dispute.

Lufthansa said the union’s demand to double its existing pension scheme is “absurd and unachievable”.

Travellers are advised to check flight status in advance and follow updates from the airline.