(Bloomberg) — Air travelers in Germany face significant disruptions on Friday from a walkout at Deutsche Lufthansa AG that’s set to cause hundreds of flight cancellations at major hubs just as people return from their Easter vacation.
The UFO labor union has called for a one-day strike on Friday for cabin crew at Lufthansa and the regional Lufthansa CityLine carrier, affecting departures across German airports. The fallout may result in more than 520 flight cancellations and will affect some 90,000 passengers, according to airport industry group ADV.
“We are well aware that this may lead to disruptions for people returning from their holidays, and we explicitly regret this,” said Joachim Vázquez Bürger, head of UFO. “However, this situation could have been avoided — the responsibility lies with Lufthansa, which has so far failed to present a negotiable offer.”
The latest dispute follows other walkouts in Europe’s largest economy this year, including two pilot strikes and a one-day shutdown of Berlin airport. Lufthansa aims to mitigate the impact by adding flights on other group airlines, such as Austrian Airlines, and deploying larger aircraft.
Lufthansa said it expects to offer more than a third of the main airline’s originally planned flight schedule Friday and broadly return to normal operations on Saturday, with possible pockets of disruption.
The strike follows months of stalled negotiations over a new collective labor agreement. The union said Lufthansa hasn’t put forward a proposal that could serve as a basis for talks.
At Lufthansa CityLine, the walkout is tied to a dispute over a plan for staff covering severance and protections as the regional unit is set to shut down.
The subsidiary said on Friday that it reached an accord with the Ver.di union that runs until 2029 and includes a remuneration agreement and a broader collective agreement that regulates the terms of employment for crews.
Ver.di said separately that the collective bargaining agreements at Lufthansa CityLine mean salary increases of 20% to 35% for cockpit and cabin crew.
For Lufthansa, the labor tensions add to broader geopolitical pressures on air travel at a time when the company is trying to lift margins in a crowded European market.
“This escalation is irresponsible,” Lufthansa executive board member Michael Niggemann said, “especially at a time when we are facing geopolitical challenges such as extreme fluctuations in jet fuel prices and significant uncertainty for the coming months.”
(Updates with accord between Lufthansa City and Ver.di union)
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