British travelers could face new disruptions due to a wave of pilots’ strike at one of Europe’s biggest airline groups.
Pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has confirmed further strike action at the German airline and its subsidiaries including Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Cityline and Eurowings.
The walkout will begin at 12:01 am on April 16 and continue till 11:59 pm on April 17. Departures from German airports are likely to be affected and routes to the UK will also be affected.
The union said flights to several Middle Eastern countries would be exempted, including routes to Egypt, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, due to ongoing tensions in the region.
The message reads: “Due to the current situation in the Middle East, flights operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lufthansa CityLine from Germany to the following destinations will remain strike-free: 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 far from over.
“The situation is at a standstill,” Pinheiro said.
He said there had been “absolutely no movement” from employers on pensions or pay settlements across all the group’s airlines.
“Neither Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo have made any offer with respect to company pension plans, nor has Lufthansa CityLine made any viable offer for a new collective bargaining agreement on remuneration, nor has Eurowings made any offer with respect to company pension plans,” Pinheiro said.
“We are not concerned with power struggles or egos, but with permanent solutions”.
A message on the VC’s website read: “Should the employers accept the mediation offer, the Cockpit Association will immediately submit suggestions for a suitable mediator.”
More than 1,000 flights have so far been canceled as a result of the dispute, with more than 4,500 UK passengers 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 one-third of its short-haul flights would operate normally, while half of its long-haul flights would be cancelled.
Eurowings, which has canceled 570 flights at Frankfurt airport, affecting more than 50,000 passengers, will operate 60 percent of its schedule.
