British travellers could face new disruptions as a wave of pilot strikes hits one of Europe’s biggest airline groups.
The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has confirmed further strike action across the German airline and its subsidiaries including Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine and Eurowings.
The walkout is set to start at 12:01am on April 16 and continue until 11:59pm on April 17. Departures from German airports will likely bear the brunt and routes to the UK will also be affected.
The union said flights to several Middle Eastern countries would be exempt due to ongoing tensions in the region, including routes to Egypt, Israel and the UAE.
The message read: “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 the dispute had come to a standstill.
“The situation is deadlocked,” Pinheiro said.
He added that there has been “absolutely no movement” from employers on pensions or pay agreements across the group’s airlines.
“Neither Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo have made an offer regarding company pension schemes, nor has Lufthansa CityLine made a viable offer for a new collective bargaining agreement on remuneration, nor has Eurowings made any offer regarding company pension schemes,” Pinheiro said.
“We are not concerned with power struggles or egoism, but with sustainable solutions”.
A message on the VC’s website read: “Should the employers accept the mediation proposal, the Cockpit Association will promptly submit suggestions for a suitable mediator.”
More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled so far as a result of the row, with more than 4,500 UK passengers affected by the disruption.
Multiple flights travelling to Frankfurt or Munich from London Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh were scrapped on Tuesday, April 14.
Lufthansa said only around one-third of their short-haul schedule will be running as normal, while half of its long-haul flights will be cancelled.
Eurowings, which has seen 570 flight cancellations at Frankfurt Airport affecting more than 50,000 travellers, will operate 60 per cent of its schedule.