Lufthansa hit by strike, hundreds of flights canceled, chaos for travelers ahead of Easter

Lufthansa employees began a strike this Friday, which risks causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

The strike, called by the UFO union, is expected to last from 00:01 to 22:00 and will affect all departures of Deutsche Lufthansa AG from the main airports of Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, as well as departures of the regional branch Lufthansa CityLine from nine other airports, including Hamburg Airport, Bremen Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Cologne Bonn Airport, Düsseldorf Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport and Hannover Airport. For passengers, this means massive cancellations.

The ADV estimates that more than 520 flights could be canceled. In Frankfurt, out of around 350 scheduled Lufthansa departures, 75% have been canceled, while local reports indicate that about 280 departures and 270 arrivals have been suspended. Other major airports such as Hamburg and Berlin have also experienced dozens of flight cancellations.

The strike also affects travelers returning from Easter holidays due to a shortage of aircraft.

Lufthansa has announced that some flights will be covered by other company units such as Discover, Lufthansa City, and Eurowings. Additionally, international subsidiaries, including Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Brussels Airlines, Air Dolomiti and ITA Airways, will try to provide additional flights or use larger aircraft to ease the effects of the strike.

Lufthansa board member for personnel, Michael Niggemann, criticized the timing of the strike, calling it irresponsible, especially for passengers returning after the Easter holidays. However, the head of UFO, Joachim Vázquez Bürger, stressed that responsibility for the situation lies with Lufthansa, which has not yet offered an acceptable proposal to employees.

The strike was preceded by a warning and an internal vote by employees, who overwhelmingly supported the call to take action.

“KORÇA BOOM”