By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
More than 5,000 pilots of German airline Lufthansa are set to embark on a 48-hour strike on Thursday and Friday, a move that could lead to widespread flight disruptions and hundreds of cancellations.
The industrial action was announced on Wednesday by the German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), which said thousands of its members would participate in the walkout as part of an ongoing labour dispute with the airline.
According to the union, flights departing from Germany and operated by Lufthansa’s main airline, its cargo subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo, as well as regional carrier Lufthansa CityLine, are likely to be affected during the strike period.
However, the union clarified that flights bound for destinations in the Middle East would be exempted from the strike due to the tense security situation in the region.
The planned action represents the second phase of industrial protests in the current dispute between the pilots and the airline. A similar one-day strike held in February forced the cancellation of more than 800 flights and disrupted travel plans for about 100,000 passengers.
The union said negotiations with Lufthansa over occupational pension arrangements have yet to yield a satisfactory offer, prompting the decision to escalate the industrial action.
The development raises fresh concerns about travel disruptions across Europe’s aviation sector if the dispute remains unresolved.
