GERMANY: Lufthansa Strike Extended, To Hit 1,000 Flights On Wednesday

Lufthansa Air has announced it will cancel 1,000 short- and medium-term flights in and out of Germany Wednesday on the second day of a two-day walkout by its pilots.

The carrier said Tuesday it had filed a court injunction in a bid to prevent the industrial action – the 13th walkout in 18 months – as the company struggles to end a long-running dispute over early retirement provisions.

“One thousand Lufthansa flights are cancelled, 140,000 passengers will be affected,” Lufthansa said in a statement after the pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), announced that it was extending a strike that began early Tuesday into a second day on Wednesday.

Out of a total 1,520 Lufthansa flights that should have flown on Wednesday, only just over 500 would go ahead, the carrier said.

Only Lufthansa services would be hit, while flights by the group’s other airlines, Germanwings, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines would operate normally.

The carrier said it apologised to passengers for any inconvenience caused and added they would be able to rebook their flights free of charge.