Lufthansa strike cancels 30 Danish flights

A 36-hour strike by Lufthansa pilots beginning at noon on Monday will result in the cancellation of 30 flights in and out of Denmark. 

 

According to the aviation news site Check-in.dk, six flights between Copenhagen and Frankfurt and six between Billund and Frankfurt are cancelled on Monday, while on Tuesday a total of 18 flights between Frankfurt and the two Danish cities will be cancelled. 

 

Flights to Munich however are unaffected by the Lufthansa strike. 

 

In total, more than 150,000 passengers will be affected by the  Lufthansa pilots' union fresh walkout, stemming from an ongoing dispute with the airline over retirement benefits.

 

The strike will target short- and medium-haul flights in and out of Germany from midday on Monday until just before midnight Tuesday, the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said in a statement.

 

The airline will cancel 1,350 total flights as a result. 

 

The union representing 5,400 pilots said it was down to the management of Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline, that "despite all efforts for compromise proposals" by the pilots in several rounds of negotiations since October, the dispute could not be resolved.

 

The pilots are defending themselves "resolutely" against the proposed changes to the early retirement scheme that the airline wants to phase out to reduce costs, it said.

 

At present, pilots are allowed to retire at 55 and receive up to 60 percent of their pay until they reach the statutory retirement age, which is currently 65.

 

Lufthansa pilots have already staged nine walkouts since April. The pilots' October strike affected 27 flights in and out of Denmark.