Pilots at Lufthansa announced a two-day strike in Germany, marking a further escalation in an already tense labour dispute over pay and pension conditions.
The industrial action, called by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), the main trade union representing commercial pilots in Germany, is scheduled to start at 00:01 a.m. on April 13 through 11:59 p.m. on April 14, 2026. It will impact operations across the Lufthansa Group, including Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine, and Eurowings.
The walkout is expected to heavily disrupt Germany’s aviation network, particularly at the airline’s main hubs, Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Munich Airport (MUC). Lufthansa has already begun cancelling flights in advance of the strike window to mitigate operational impact.
According to VC, the strike is organized due to a lack of progress in multiple collective bargaining negotiations, as the management has not presented proposals deemed sufficient to move discussions forward.
“A strike is always the last resort to bring movement to failed negotiations. We would have been very happy to do without it – especially against the background of the strain on our passengers and our colleagues on the ground. However, the responsibility for this lies with the employer,” Andreas Pinheiro, VC President said.
Lufthansa, in response, described the strike call as a significant escalation. The airline rejected the union’s key demands, particularly pension improvements, stating they are financially unrealistic.
The latest strike follows a series of labor actions across the Lufthansa Group in recent months. Cabin crew, represented by the UFO union, have already staged walkouts that led to widespread cancellations, with reports indicating that up to 90% of flights were disrupted during previous strikes.
Lufthansa’s CEO has warned that repeated industrial action is placing increasing pressure on operations and customer confidence, while also complicating the airline’s recovery and cost management efforts.
