Lufthansa labels impending pilot and cabin crew strike an unnecessary escalation

Airlines Lufthansa aircraft parked at Frankfurt Airport FRA
Nate Hovee / Shutterstock

Lufthansa has criticized strikes announced by pilot and cabin crew unions whose members are unhappy with working conditions at the German carrier.

On February 10, 2026, union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) called on Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo pilots to down tools and take part in industrial action on February 12, 2026.

Separately on February 10, 2026, the Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO) rallied members to strike against Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine on the same day as pilots.

Industrial action by VC union pilots will affect all flights departing from German airports between 00:01 and 23:59 local time.

“The industrial action stems from the long-running, fruitless negotiations regarding the company pension scheme for pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo,” a spokesperson for VC said.

Flight attendants are protesting against the lowering of protection standards and the need for better protection against dismissal.

In a letter to members, the UFO said that there is a “rampant avoidance of collective bargaining agreement”.

Commenting on the planned strike, the head of HR at Lufthansa Michael Niggemann said that the “escalation is completely unnecessary” and the company has no “financial leeway” to meet employees’ demands.

Michael Niggemann Lufthansa
Michael Niggemann (credit: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa confirmed that it expects extensive cancellations across its entire route network although flights operated by Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, SWISS, Air Dolomiti, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss and Lufthansa City Airlines will not be affected by the strike.

“Lufthansa expects to be able to offer its normal flight schedule again from Friday, 13 February 2026 onwards. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the disproportionate and very short notice strike announcement,” said a spokesperson for Lufthansa.

Customers affected by a flight cancellation can rebook once free of charge or have their ticket refunded. Passengers are being asked to check the status of their flight before setting out on their journey.

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