Finance
Vc Pilots' Union Calls Strikes at Lufthansa on April 13, 14
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 11, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 11, 2026
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VC (Vereinigung Cockpit) pilots’ union has called a two‑day strike at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, and Lufthansa CityLine from April 13 to 14 over a stalled pension dispute, with Eurowings pilots striking on April 13.
Pilots' union calls strikes at Lufthansa on April 13, 14
Lufthansa Pilots Announce Strike Over Pension Dispute
Details of the Strike Action
FRANKFURT, April 11 (Reuters) - Union VC on Saturday called on pilots at Lufthansa to stage a two-day strike from Monday in a dispute over pensions, saying that the company had failed to present an acceptable offer.
Pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine have been asked to strike from April 13, 0001 CET (2201 GMT) to April 14, 2359 CET (2159 GMT), the union said.
Strike Exemptions
It said flights in to the following locations in the Middle East region were excluded from the action: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates.
Other Airlines Affected
Pilots at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings have also been asked to strike on April 13 from 0001-2359 CET, the union said.
Union and Company Statements
Union's Position
"The Cockpit union feels compelled to take this step after the employers' side showed no real willingness to reach a solution in several collective bargaining disputes," VC President Andreas Pinheiro said.
"Despite our deliberate decision not to take strike action over the Easter holidays, no serious offers have been made."
Lufthansa's Response
Lufthansa said in a statement that VC's announcement marked a "completely new level of escalation", and said the union's demand to "double an already above-average and excellent company pension scheme is absurd and unachievable".
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Christoph Steitz and Ilona Wissenbach. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Key Takeaways
- •VC pilots’ union is striking due to failure by Lufthansa to present an acceptable offer on occupational pensions, despite over a year of negotiations and a rejected offer in November 2025 (yahoo.com).
- •Strikes will run from April 13 00:01 CET to April 14 23:59 CET for Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa CityLine; Eurowings pilots strike only April 13 (aerotime.aero).
- •Middle East–bound flights are excluded from the action, mirroring prior strikes where flights to that region were exempt to avoid interrupting return operations amidst geopolitical issues (aerotime.aero)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about VC pilots' union calls strikes at Lufthansa on April 13, 14
1When will the Lufthansa pilots' strike take place?
The Lufthansa pilots' strike is scheduled for April 13, 0001 CET, to April 14, 2359 CET.
2Which Lufthansa subsidiaries are affected by the strike?
Pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine, and Eurowings are affected, with Eurowings pilots striking only on April 13.
3What is the main reason for the Lufthansa pilots' strike?
The strike is due to a dispute over pensions between the pilots' union VC and Lufthansa management.
4Are all Lufthansa flights impacted by the strike?
Flights in the Middle East region are excluded from the strike action.
