Lufthansa strike: Why pilots and flight crew walked out of German airline, fueling 800 flight cancellations — Explained
Strike at Lufthansa: Germany-based global airline operator Lufthansa is witnessing a major disruption in flight operations with a large number of flights being canceled after pilots and flight crews went on strike amid the airline’s efforts to cut costs, the news agency reported. Reuters On Thursday, February 12, 2026.
A report from the news portal D.W. It alleges that the strike was prompted by about 4,800 pilots working for the passenger airline and the company’s freight arm, who wanted to pressure the company to pay higher contributions towards their retirement benefits.
But on Thursday Lufthansa said the core airline was a “problem child” and that the company did not have the financial space to meet demands for additional costs from its staff.
How many flights were cancelled?
According to the agency’s report, citing Lufthansa’s official statement, nearly 800 flights were canceled, disrupting the company’s airline operations and affecting the travel plans of approximately 100,000 passengers.
Stating that this strike “affected our passengers extremely hard and disproportionately”, the company emphasized that they expect operations to return to normal schedule on Friday, February 13, 2026.
German airport association ADV announced that, according to the agency’s report, they estimate that more than 460 flights will be canceled due to sudden disruptions and approximately 70 thousand people will be affected.
Frankfurt and Munich airports, where the German airline is based, reportedly canceled most flights on Thursday, including airlines scheduled to foreign destinations.
Lufthansa said it would try to rebook passengers on other airlines or partner airlines before the company expects to return to normal scheduled operations on Friday, according to the agency’s report.
What’s at stake?
The pilot and crew strike, organized by the relevant unions, comes as Germany prepares to host the Berlinale film festival, which draws people from all over the world every year.
This move also comes as politicians and military officials gather for the Munich Security Conference on Friday, February 13, 2026. Unions are demanding that the company increase its contribution to employees’ pensions.
According to the agency’s report, the pilots and flight attendants union announced that they were ready to strike after a vote last year to pressure the company to give more pensions.
“The pilots’ simultaneous industrial action is a coincidence but we welcome it,” UFO union representative Harry Jaeger told the news agency. “We want to disturb the management, not the passengers,” he said.
German Pilots Association VC President Andreas Pinheiro told the news portal: D.W. “We would have loved to have avoided the controversy” and the union was always ready to talk.
“It is still the employer’s fault that this strike took place,” he told the news portal. But the report also suggests that the UFO flight attendants union strike, which affected nearly 20,000 members, was carried out without a prior vote on the issue.
What should passengers do?
Passengers traveling or booking with German carrier Lufthansa should prepare themselves for possible cancellations or delays affecting flight operations due to an employee strike.
Lufthansa passengers should check their current flight status before traveling to the airport to avoid unnecessary travel. The airline stated that they are trying to rebook their passengers to partner airlines such as Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, the news portal reported.
The report also highlighted that the company also offers the option to change flight reservations to train tickets with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn without paying any extra fee.
