Lufthansa pilots go on 8-hour strike in Frankfurt

[FRANKFURT] Lufthansa pilots will hold an eight-hour strike on Tuesday, wiping out flights from its Frankfurt hub, union Vereinigung Cockpit said on Monday, announcing the fourth strike by the pilots to hit the German airline within three weeks.

The pilots are trying to increase pressure on Lufthansa in negotiations over an early retirement scheme.

The proposed strike on Tuesday will run from 0700-1500 GMT, the union said.

There will be no flights from Lufthansa's main hub Frankfurt and no long-haul flights using Airbus A380, A330 and A340 planes, and Boeing B747s.

Germany's flagship carrier, which had called on the pilots to return to the negotiation table, said the strike announcement was disproportionate and that it would present a revised offer during the day.

While it would be no new offer, it would provide more details of an early retirement package, Lufthansa said.

Lufthansa shares fell 1.3 per cent, making them the second-biggest loser on the blue-chip index Dax, which was trading 0.3 per cent lower.

Vereinigung Cockpit, which represents about 5,400 of Lufthansa Group's 9,000 pilots, wants Lufthansa to maintain a scheme that allows pilots to retire early at the age of 55 and still receive up to 60 per cent of their pay before regular pension payments start.

They held a strike at Lufthansa's budget carrier Germanwings at the end of August, followed by walkouts at Frankfurt and Munich in the past two weeks.

Pilots at rival Air France began a one-week strike on Monday over company plans to cut incentives. - Reuters