On Wednesday sixteen Lufthansa flights scheduled for between Portugal and Germany were cancelled because of the pilots’ action.
On Tuesday a total of eighty-four long-distance flights – almost half of the company’s daily long-distance operations – were cancelled due to the strike but there were no ramifications for Portugal.
A day later the action extended to medium and short-haul operations and resulted in the cancellation of sixteen flights between Portugal and Germany.
The strike affected four flights from Lisbon to Frankfurt and Munich and five return flights from those cities to the Portuguese capital. It also resulted in five flights between Munich, Frankfurt and Oporto being cancelled as well as a return flight between Frankfurt and Faro.
It is not known how many passengers travelling between Portugal and Germany were left high and dry.
Representatives of the German union Vereininung Cockpit, cited by news agency Efe, have said weekly strike action could be possible as part of the pilots’ ongoing labour battle with the airline.
Flights by the airline’s affiliate companies Germanwings, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines will not be affected by the action.
This week’s strike is the 13th bout of action by Lufthansa pilots in 18 months.
At the heart of the conflict between the cockpit crew and their employers are the company’s plans to change pre-retirement rules for 5,400 pilots as well as the future structuring of the carrier, which the union fears will result in a systematic relocation of jobs.
The airline was recently voted Europe’s Leading Airline for the fifth consecutive year in the European heat of the World Travel Awards, which were held this past weekend.