Lufthansa Group struggles to comprehend the strike announced by Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), the German Airline Pilots’ union that represents Lufthansa group’s pilots, according to a Member of the Lufthansa Executive Board, Michael Niggemann.
The Background of the Strike
The industrial action was caused by a dispute over Lufthansa Passenger Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo pilots’ company pension scheme, as well as, issues with negotiations surrounding Lufthansa CityLine, the regional carrier. The union has wished to create a new wage agreement for Lufthansa CityLine’s regional cockpit personnel, but negotiations for this have thus far failed to reach an agreement. The strike is set to take place on March 12, and March 13, 2026 for both Lufthansa Passenger Airlines and Cargo, and on March 12 for CityLine. The industrial action is following the previous strike on Feb. 12, after an offer for a new agreement on company pensions was not submitted by the airline.
“The path of escalation chosen by the Vereinigung Cockpit union is not the right one. Instead of further worsening the development opportunities for Lufthansa Classic through strikes, we should rather enter into discussions about modernization and the future size of the fleet, which will have a direct and immediate impact on the career prospects of pilots,” says Niggemann.
The President of VC, Andreas Pinheiro, states that the union is ready to discuss the potential solutions, provided they are offered without delays and with concrete improvements. In the case of Lufthansa CityLine, several negotiations have taken place since August 2025. The employer submitted an offer to VC on Feb. 25, but this was deemed unviable by VC due to it falling short of its demands.
Disagreements on Industrial Action
According to Niggemann, the company pension scheme, in comparison with other airlines and industries, is of a high level, and offers retirement security for its employees. Furthermore, he claims the scheme has improved over the past two years, and pilots’ pensionable earnings have seen a notable increase.
“I regret the renewed strike call by the Vereinigung Cockpit union. This escalation is completely incomprehensible. Especially not at a time when we are experiencing a new level of geopolitical uncertainty with the war in Iran and passengers worldwide are affected,” Niggemann says.
Vereinigung Cockpit specifically stated, however, that flights to the Middle East region are not included in the strike, due to the current war taking place in Iran and surrounding crisis areas. The flights to these countries will not be affected by the industrial action: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
A special flight schedule will be in operation for the duration of the industrial action.
What do you think of the industrial action? Tell us your opinions in the comments below.
