Second strike avoided as Lufthansa and pilots reach deal

German airline Lufthansa has at the last minute managed to avert a two-day pilot strike after it finally reached a deal with union bosses over salaries. 

Second strike averted as Lufthansa and pilots reach deal

After the first strike last week, which forced the cancellation of over 800 flights and left 130.000 passengers stranded, Lufthansa has narrowly avoided a second round of pilot strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Late on Monday, just a few hours before the industrial action was scheduled to begin, the Vereinigung Cockpit union announced, “An agreement has been reached.” Lufthansa bosses later confirmed that the wage agreement was not yet set in stone but met the union’s demand of being an offer “serious” enough to call off the strikes. 

Strikes paralysing Lufthansa operations in Germany

The two sides will continue to negotiate before revealing new proposals later this week. Vereinigung Cockpit has been demanding a 5,5 percent pay rise for the 5.000 pilots it represents in Germany, as well as automatic inflation adjustments for 2023. Lufthansa most recently offered a blanket increase of 900 euros per employee. 

The last round of strikes paralysed Lufthansa operations in Germany, forcing the cancellation of almost all flights leaving the airline’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and costing the airline 32 million euros.