BERLIN (AP) — A union representing pilots at Germany’s Lufthansa has announced a strike affecting long-haul flights from the airline’s main Frankfurt hub on Tuesday, resuming a campaign of targeted walkouts after contract talks broke down last week.
The Vereinigung Cockpit union said Monday that members on Lufthansa’s long-haul fleet won’t fly from Frankfurt between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. (0600 and 2100 GMT) Tuesday.
Lufthansa said it was canceling 25 of the 57 intercontinental flights scheduled to depart Frankfurt on Tuesday. It said it expected 26 to go ahead as planned, while two departures will be moved forward and another four pushed back to Wednesday.
The airline noted that flights from Munich, its No. 2 hub, and Duesseldorf won’t be affected.
The two sides are at odds over the pilots’ demand that Lufthansa keep a transition payment for those wanting early retirement.
The airline, which faces tough competition from European budget airlines and major Gulf carriers, wants to cut those payments.
The union has staged several short-term strikes in recent weeks at Lufthansa and short-haul budget offshoot Germanwings. It says Lufthansa hasn’t offered an acceptable compromise.
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