Major airline cancels flights as UK airports hit by wave of pilot strikes | World | News
British passengers could face fresh disruption as a wave of pilots’ strikes hits one of Europe’s biggest airline groups.
Pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) confirmed the new strike action across the German airline and its subsidiaries such as Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine and Eurowings.
The work stoppage is planned to start at 12.01 in the morning on April 16 and continue until 23.59 on April 17. Most likely the main problem will be departures from airports in Germany, and routes to the UK will also be affected.
The union said flights to many Middle Eastern countries would be exempt due to ongoing tensions in the region, including routes to Egypt, Israel and the UAE.
The message states: “Due to the current situation in the Middle East, flights operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lufthansa CityLine from Germany to the following destinations remain exempt from the strike: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
Union president Andreas Pinheiro warned that the dispute was at a standstill.
“The situation has reached an impasse,” Pinheiro said.
He added that there had been “absolutely no movement” from employers on pension or salary agreements across the group’s airlines.
“Neither Lufthansa nor Lufthansa Cargo has made a proposal regarding company pension plans, nor has Lufthansa CityLine made a valid proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement on wages, nor has Eurowings made any proposal regarding company pension plans,” Pinheiro said. he said.
“We are not interested in power struggles or egoism, but in sustainable solutions.”
A message on the VC’s website read: “Should employers accept the offer of mediation, the Cockpit Association will immediately submit its recommendations for a suitable mediator.”
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled so far and more than 4,500 UK passengers have been affected by the disruption.
Many flights from London Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh to Frankfurt or Munich were canceled on Tuesday 14 April.
Lufthansa said only a third of short-haul flights will continue normally, while half of long-haul flights will be cancelled.
Eurowings, which has experienced 570 flight cancellations at Frankfurt Airport affecting more than 50,000 passengers, will operate 60 percent of its schedule.
