Lufthansa says majority of flights took place on first day of pilot strike

Fraport Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide AG

12/03/2026 15:32

FRANKFURT, March 12 (Reuters) - More than half of Lufthansa LHAG.DE flights to and from Germany took place on Thursday, the first of two strike days by pilots over pensions, the airline said, although the union said more flights had been hit.

The VC union called strikes on Lufthansa passenger and cargo flights from German airports on Thursday and Friday, hitting the German flag carrier and passengers as the sector tries to cope with chaos caused by the Iran war.

Lufthansa had said on Wednesday it would operate more than half of its scheduled flights during the two-day walkout, including 60% of long-haul routes and 80% of cargo flights.

"The reduced flight schedule is taking place as announced," a Lufthansa spokesperson said.

However, VC played up the disruption, saying some 70% of Lufthansa flights had been grounded by 3 p.m local time (1400 GMT) on Thursday due to the industrial action, adding its estimate was based on solid data. It said it was still waiting to receive a negotiable offer from Lufthansa.

At Frankfurt airport, the airline's largest hub, operator Fraport FRAG.DE recorded 426 cancellations from an original schedule of 1,168 take-offs and landings, representing a cancellation rate of 36%.

 (Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach
Writing by Madeline Chambers
Editing by Linda Pasquini)

 ((Madeline.Chambers@thomsonreuters.com; +4930220133578;))