German strike forces Lufthansa to cancel flights

Germany's flagship airline Lufthansa said almost all of its flights from Frankfurt and Munich airports will be cancelled tomorrow, 27 July, because of a strike by ground staff, the latest in a series of disruptions to hamper European air travel this summer.

German trade union ver.di has called on 20,000 Lufthansa ground staff to stage industrial action from 03:45 local time (01:45 GMT) on Wednesday until 06:00 on Thursday after wage negotiations ended without agreement. More than 1,000 flights will have to be cancelled today and tomorrow, 678 at Frankfurt and 345 at Munich, Lufthansa said. The company expects 134,000 passengers to be affected.

Lufthansa said it is working to return operations to normal as quickly as possible but warned flights may still be impacted on Thursday and Friday.

Ver.di said its members are being overworked and are having to contend with "significant staff shortages, high inflation and a three-year wage freeze". But Lufthansa said the strike is "no longer proportionate" given the pay increases it is offering.

Several airlines in Europe have been forced to reduce their summer flight schedules as staff shortages and strike action coincide with a rapidly accelerating demand for air travel. Eurocontrol data show flight numbers in Germany lagged pre-pandemic 2019 levels by 20pc in the week ending 25 July, compared with a 30pc lag in early May.

By Bea O'Kelly