Finance
Pilots union breaks off talks over Lufthansa's staffing plans, sources say
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 2, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 2, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Lufthansa's pilots union has ended talks over staffing cuts, increasing strike risks. The airline seeks cost reductions, focusing on short-haul savings.
BERLIN (Reuters) -The VC pilots union is breaking off talks with Germany's Lufthansa over proposed cuts, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, increasing the likelihood of strikes by cockpit crew over the course of this year.
The airline is seeking union approval for cost reductions at Lufthansa's core brand, which has been loss-making. The airline has told employees it needs to make savings in particular in its short- and medium-haul travel offerings, according to a document seen by Reuters.
"We didn't reach an agreement on the turnaround," a source familiar with the talks told Reuters. The end of discussions opens the way to formal pay negotiations, which could pave the way for strikes by the core airline's 4,800 pilots.
Sources familiar with the talks said Lufthansa had proposed to lift the current pilot hiring freeze and take on 250 new part-time cockpit crew by 2028. The union said this would lead to increasd work for pilots and amount to a stealth pay cut.
Lufthansa told Reuters it did not regard the talks as ended and remained open to further discussions.
"We are exploring negotiation possibilities and remain open to talks," the airline said.
(Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach, writing by Thomas Escritt;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
The main topic is the breakdown of talks between Lufthansa and its pilots union over staffing plans, potentially leading to strikes.
The union broke off talks due to disagreements over proposed staffing cuts and increased workload concerns.
Lufthansa proposed lifting the hiring freeze and adding 250 part-time pilots by 2028 to reduce costs.
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