Lufthansa strike: Germany-based world airline operator, Lufthansa, is witnessing a significant disruption in its flight operations with a number of flights cancelled after pilots and flight crews went on strike amid the airline’s efforts to chop prices, reported the information company Reuters on Thursday, 12 February 2026.
A report from the information portal DW means that the strike comes because of practically 4,800 pilots, who work for the passenger airline and the corporate’s freight transport arm, seeking to strain the corporate into paying larger contributions to their retirement advantages.
Nonetheless, Lufthansa on Thursday mentioned that the core airline is the “drawback little one” and that there isn’t any monetary leeway for the corporate to take care of the extra price calls for from the employees members.
What number of flights have been cancelled?
Based on the company report citing Lufthansa’s official assertion, near 800 flights have been cancelled, disrupting the corporate’s airline operations, affecting journey plans of round 100,000 passengers.
This strike “impacts our passengers extraordinarily harshly and disproportionately,” the corporate mentioned, whereas highlighting that they count on operations to return to their regular schedule on Friday, 13 February 2026.
The German airport affiliation, ADV, introduced that they estimate that greater than 460 flights will likely be cancelled, with practically 70,000 folks affected as a result of sudden disruptions, in line with the company report.
Frankfurt and Munich airports, that are the hubs for the German airline, reportedly confirmed that the majority flights have been cancelled for Thursday, together with airways which have been scheduled for overseas locations.
Based on the company report, Lufthansa mentioned that it’ll attempt to rebook passengers on its different airways or associate airways earlier than the corporate expects to return to its regular schedule operations on Friday.
What’s at stake?
The pilot and crew’s walkout, orchestrated by the respective unions, comes at a time when Germany is ready to host the Berlinale movie pageant, the place yearly folks from all around the world collect.
This transfer additionally comes at a time when politicians and navy officers collect for the Munich Safety Convention on Friday, 13 February 2026. The unions are demanding that the corporate elevate its contributions to the worker pensions.
Based on the company report, the pilot and flight attendants’ union declared their readiness to strike after a poll vote final yr in an effort to strain the corporate into granting extra retirement advantages.
“The simultaneous industrial motion by pilots is a coincidence, however one that’s welcome,” UFO union consultant Harry Jaeger advised the information company. “We wish to annoy administration, not passengers,” he mentioned.
The President of the German pilots’ Union VC, Andreas Pinheiro, advised the information portal DW that “we might very a lot have preferred to keep away from an escalation” and that the union has all the time been prepared to speak.
“That this strike is happening nonetheless is the fault of the employer,” he advised the information portal. Nonetheless, the report additionally means that the UFO union of flight attendants’ strike, affecting practically 20,000 members, is happening with out a prior vote on the matter.
What ought to passengers do?
Passengers who’re travelling or are reserving with the German provider Lufthansa ought to put together themselves for any potential cancellations or delays affecting the flight operations as a result of worker strike.
Lufthansa travellers ought to examine their up to date flight standing earlier than leaving for the airport to keep away from any pointless journey. The airline has talked about that they’re attempting to re-book passengers into associate airways like Swiss, Austrian Airways and Brussels Airways, in line with the information portal’s report.
The report additionally highlighted that the corporate can also be providing an possibility to alter the flight bookings to coach tickets with the nationwide railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, with none further price.