Due to certain unforeseen circumstances, Lufthansa, one of the world’s leading airlines, has announced that it will only be able to operate 10 to 20 percent of its originally planned flight schedule on the coming Wednesday. This significant scale-back in operations was previously estimated to affect around 100,000 passengers, causing disruptions in travel plans and necessitating adjustments for many.
The German trade union, Verdi, has urged the ground staff at Lufthansa to cease their work. This call to action has significantly impacted the Frankfurt and Munich airports, which have been hit the hardest by this strike. However, the call to action was not exclusive to these airports. Verdi also urged Lufthansa employees in other locations such as Hamburg, Berlin, and Düsseldorf to participate in the strike. This industrial action is set to last until 7.10 am on the following Thursday and is part of the union’s strategy to increase pressure in ongoing wage negotiations.
The repercussions of the strike are already being seen, with a dozen Lufthansa flights to and from Brussels Airport being canceled on Wednesday. This includes four flights originating from Munich and two from Frankfurt. Consequently, the return flights from Brussels to Germany have also been canceled, causing additional inconvenience to travelers.
However, there is some positive news for passengers. Travel to Frankfurt or Munich by plane will still be possible on Wednesday. Lufthansa will be operating a limited number of flights, alongside its subsidiary Brussels Airlines, which will also continue its operations to a certain extent.
This situation follows another incident last Thursday when German air traffic was disrupted by a major strike by security personnel. This resulted in all departing flights from Berlin and Hamburg airports being canceled, and in Frankfurt, passengers could only transfer or land.