Lufthansa, Germany’s flagship carrier, says it will cancel almost all passenger and cargo flights over plans by pilots to commence a day-long strike tomorrow.
The move will affect many travellers returning at the end of the summer vacation.
In a statement on Thursday, the airline said it would be cancelling flights from its two biggest hubs, Frankfurt and Munich.
“We hope to get back to negotiations as soon as possible,” a Lufthansa spokesperson said
“However, we cannot bear the cost increases associated with VC’s demands either.”
The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said late on Wednesday that pay talks had failed and Lufthansa pilots would stage a 24-hour strike starting just after midnight on Thursday, affecting both passenger and cargo services.
Lufthansa said flight cancellations would affect Frankfurt and Munich airports, adding that several flights would also have to be cancelled on Thursday.
VC is demanding a 5.5 percent pay rise this year for its more than 5,000 pilots and an automatic above-inflation increase in 2023.
The pilots are also seeking a new pay and holiday structure that the airline said would increase its staffing costs by about 40 percent, or about £900 million over two years.
“We have not received a sufficient offer today either. This is sobering and a missed opportunity,” Matthias Baier, spokesperson, VC, said.
The union, on Thursday, accused Lufthansa of failing to improve on their previous offers, leaving pilots with no choice but to go on strike to press their demands.
In July, ground staff at Lufthansa embarked on a strike over pay, which led to the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.
Earlier this month, Lufthansa’s management said it reached a pay deal with the ground staff, averting further industrial action.