BERLIN
German flag carrier Lufthansa announced Wednesday that a 24-hour strike by pilots has forced it to suspend more than half of its short- and medium-haul flights.
Germany’s largest airline said it cancelled almost 768 of the 1400 flights planned for Wednesday, including flights to major destinations such as Istanbul, London, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv.
The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit said a row with management over pensions was the reason for the strike.
The union also announced additional strikes for Thursday in its push to reach a compromise with management.
In a written statement on Tuesday night, the pilots' union said that its members will not fly any long-haul and cargo flights between 23:01 GMT on Wednesday and 22:59 GMT on Thursday.
The union, which represents 5,400 pilots at Lufthansa, has been in conflict with management since April last year due to a major disagreement over plans to change the current pension scheme, which presently allows pilots to retire at the age of 59 - six years earlier than the official retirement age.
The union has so far staged 11 strikes, leading to the cancellation of thousands of flights.
Lufthansa said the strikes so far led to losses of around €220 million ($233.03 million).
