The pilots will strike from Monday to Wednesday after they could not reach an agreement in negotiations with bosses of the Lufthansa subsidiary, their union Cockpit said.

They are calling for a reduction in their workloads, notably through limiting their maximum flying time and extending rest periods.

The airline regularly pushed pilots to the maximum permitted limits, causing a “significant burden, which needs to be lightened”, Cockpit said in a statement.

“Due to totally inadequate offers, the workers have no choice but to show their displeasure with the workload with a strike, and to ratchet up pressure,” said Matthias Baier, a Cockpit spokesman.

Eurowings pilots staged a one-day strike last week, leading to disruption for some 30,000 passengers as the airline cancelled a string of flights.

The airline has previously criticised the pilots’ demands as “disproportionate and irresponsible”, saying they are set to get pay rises in the coming months.

The European aviation sector has been hit by a growing number of strikes in recent months among pilots, cabin crew and ground staff.

High inflation has triggered calls for pay hikes, while the sector also faces a shortage of workers after many jobs were cut during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lufthansa pilots agreed last month not to go on strike again until at least the end of June next year under a pay deal negotiated with the airline.