Lufthansa pilot strike
Lufthansa pilots began a 48‑hour strike on April 13, forcing hundreds of cancellations and leaving Frankfurt and Munich particularly disrupted. (reuters.com). The airline’s cabin‑crew union UFO then called a follow‑up walkout for April 15–16, and Deutsche Welle noted Middle Eastern routes were exempt because of the Iran/Gulf conflict. (dw.com)
Lufthansa’s pilot strike entered its second day on April 14, extending two days of flight cancellations across Germany’s biggest air hubs. (dw.com) The walkout began at 12:01 a.m. on April 13 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on April 14 for pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine, while Eurowings pilots were called out only on April 13. (dw.com) Reuters reported that the strike caused hundreds of cancellations and affected tens of thousands of passengers, with Frankfurt and Munich hit hardest. Lufthansa said it was trying to keep as many flights operating as possible through other Lufthansa Group and partner airlines. (msn.com; lufthansa.com) The dispute centers on pensions and other collective bargaining issues. Vereinigung Cockpit, the pilots’ union, said Lufthansa showed “no discernible willingness” to reach a solution after months of talks and after the union avoided striking over the Easter holidays. (dw.com) This is the fourth strike to hit Lufthansa in 2026 and the second this month involving a different union. Cabin crew represented by the Independent Flight Attendants’ Organization, known as UFO, already staged a one-day walkout on April 10 after wage talks stalled. (dw.com; dw.com) The labor pressure is not ending with the pilots. Reuters reported on April 13 that UFO called a new two-day cabin-crew strike for Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16, immediately after the pilots’ stoppage. (msn.com) Frankfurt Airport said Lufthansa flights there would face delays and cancellations throughout April 13 and 14, and Deutsche Welle reported that many domestic flights were replaced by rail services. Munich Airport’s departures board showed only the flights still scheduled to operate. (dw.com; frankfurt-airport.com) Deutsche Welle also reported that Middle East routes were exempt from the cabin-crew strike because of the Iran-Gulf conflict, limiting the follow-up walkout on April 15 and 16. For travelers, that means Lufthansa’s disruption this week depends not only on the pilot stoppage ending Tuesday night, but on whether cabin crew begin their own action the next morning. (dw.com)
