BERLIN: Operations at Lufthansa were severely disrupted on Friday after cabin crew staged a one-day strike, forcing widespread flight cancellations and stranding tens of thousands of passengers across Germany.
The industrial action, organised by the cabin crew union UFO, began shortly after midnight and continued until 10 p.m. local time. It affected all departures from the airline’s principal hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, while additional participation from CityLine staff extended the disruption to nine other airports nationwide.
According to Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, approximately 580 flights were cancelled during the day. This impacted around 72,000 travellers out of an estimated 155,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport, which had more than 1,300 scheduled flights. The figures include all airlines operating at the airport, though Lufthansa bore the brunt of the disruption.
According to Reuters, the strike is the latest escalation in a long-running dispute between the airline and its cabin crew. The union has cited unresolved negotiations over working conditions affecting roughly 19,000 employees, as well as redundancy arrangements for about 800 staff at CityLine, Lufthansa’s regional subsidiary that is in the process of winding down operations.
Union negotiator Harry Jaeger said the action was not taken lightly, describing it as the result of prolonged deadlock in talks. “This escalation has been a long time coming,” he noted, adding that the union had hoped to avoid such measures.
Lufthansa, however, criticised the strike as excessive. The airline’s brand chief Jens Ritter argued that the walkout was “completely disproportionate” and stressed the need for constructive dialogue.
He maintained that the company already offers competitive employment conditions within the aviation sector and warned against relying on outdated labour frameworks.
Friday’s disruption marks the third major work stoppage at Lufthansa in just two months, following similar strikes by cabin crew and pilots in February and March.
The repeated industrial action highlights mounting tensions within Germany’s flagship carrier as it grapples with restructuring pressures and labour demands.
With negotiations still unresolved, further disruptions cannot be ruled out, raising concerns over continued instability in European air travel during the busy spring season.
