Pilot Strike Forces Lufthansa To Cancel 1450 Flights

Lufthansa has suspended almost two-thirds of its flights due to a 35-hour strike by pilots that runs until midnight on Tuesday.



The Cologne-based company announced on Monday that it has cancelled 1450 flights planned for Monday and Tuesday, and that only about 700 of the 2150 planned flights will take off during the strike.



The 35-hour strike that started on Monday on short- and medium-haul flights will last until Tuesday at 11: 59 p.m. local time (21: 59GMT). 



The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit announced that pilots will also ground long haul flights on Tuesday from 06: 00 a.m. local time (04: 00GMT) to 11: 59 p.m. local time (21: 59GMT).



Lufthansa has confirmed that the strike has disrupted travel plans of 166,000 passengers and announced that it is making alternative plans and compiling special timetables to provide alternatives. The company advised passengers to check their flight status on the company website.



The pilots' union has been in conflict with Lufthansa for months due to a major disagreement over plans to change the existing pension scheme, which allows pilots to retire at the age of 59 - six years earlier than the official retirement age.



According to the union, Lufthansa wishes to change the agreement to two years before the official retirement age.



The union staged seven strikes this year at Frankfurt and Munich airports, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Berlin