Lufthansa cancels 1,000 flights as court allows pilot strike

Lufthansa failed in a legal bid to halt a pilot strike planned for today which has resulted in about 1,000 flights being cancelled, as the airline's dispute with crews escalated.

Pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) staged a strike on long-haul routes yesterday and has called another walkout for today on short-haul flights – and it warned there could be more pain to come.

The pilots’ 13th strike inside 18 months forced the main Lufthansa brand to cancel 84 of about 170 long-haul flights yesterday and about 1,000 flights – or two-thirds of its schedule – today , including another 52 long-haul flights.

It drew a defiant response from Germany's largest airline, which said it would not take on any new pilots under current German collective labour agreements, meaning its core Lufthansa, Germanwings and cargo divisions will shrink as staff leave.

– (Reuters)