German flag carrier Lufthansa has announced that it will cancel virtually all of its scheduled flights from Frankfurt and Munich on Wednesday, as a result of a planned ground staff strike. Flights on Tuesday and later in the week are also affected. 

134.000 passengers affected by Lufthansa flight cancellations

In an announcement on Tuesday, the airline said that it would cancel over 1.000 flights departing from airports in Germany after union bosses called on workers to take part in a 24-hour strike on Wednesday. Ripple effects will also likely see further flight cancellations on Tuesday and later in the week.

An estimated 134.000 passengers are affected by the cancellations, and should be contacted by Lufthansa shortly to arrange alternative travel arrangements. Lufthansa has advised people not to come to the airport if they are not rebooked onto a suitable flight, and to not fly into German hubs without a connecting flight. 

Strike action to cause disruption nationwide during peak travel season

On Monday, the trade union ver.di called for Lufthansa’s 20.000 ground staff to take part in a one-day strike on Wednesday to put pressure on the airline as part of an ongoing dispute over salaries.

Michael Niggemann, head of Human Resources at Lufthansa said the strike was an “early escalation after only two days of negotiations” and would affect passengers during a peak period over the school holidays, putting extra “strain on employees in an already difficult phase of air traffic.”

The strike will not only affect Lufthansa’s major hubs in Munich and Frankfurt but also other airports in Germany including those in Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hannover and Stuttgart.