Lufthansa Cancels 800 Flights as Pilots Strike

German airline major Lufthansa said that it will cancel 800 flights on Friday after the pilots' union announced a one-day strike, starting at midnight. Due to the strike, more than 130,000 passengers are going to be affected, Lufthansa airlines said in a press release.

The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said late on Wednesday that pay talks had failed and Lufthansa pilots would stage a 24-hour strike starting just after midnight on Thursday, affecting both passenger and cargo services.

Lufthansa said flight cancellations would affect Frankfurt and Munich airports. "We hope to get back to negotiations as soon as possible," a Lufthansa spokesperson said on Thursday. "However, we cannot bear the cost increases associated with VC's demands either," he added.

A 5.5 percent pay hike has been demanded by the union this year for its over 5,000 pilots and an automatic inflation compensation thereafter.

Lufthansa was facing numerous strikes by security workers and ground staff over pay this year. The airline faced a one-day walkout called by Germany's powerful Verdi union in July that affected its flights at domestic hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.

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