Lufthansa faces cabin-crew strike on busy vacation Friday

It will affect all departures from the Frankfurt and Munich airports

Published Thu, Apr 9, 2026 · 10:11 PM
    • Lufthansa urges the union to continue negotiations, saying the timing of the strike will hit passengers "particularly hard".
    • Lufthansa urges the union to continue negotiations, saying the timing of the strike will hit passengers "particularly hard". PHOTO: REUTERS

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    [FRANKFURT] Deutsche Lufthansa faces a cabin-crew strike on Friday (Apr 10) at German airports, threatening to disrupt travel for passengers returning from their Easter holidays.

    Labour union UFO has called on Lufthansa cabin crew to walk out on Apr 10 from 12.01 am to 10 pm, a statement on Wednesday said.

    The strike will affect all departures from the Frankfurt and Munich airports.

    It separately called on cabin crew at regional carrier Lufthansa CityLine to strike the same day, affecting departures in several other German airports – including Berlin and Hamburg. 

    The strike follows months of stalled negotiations over a new collective labour agreement. The union said Lufthansa has not put forward a proposal that could serve as a basis for talks.

    Joachim Vazquez Burger, head of UFO, said: “We are well aware that this may lead to disruptions for people returning from their holidays, and we explicitly regret this.

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    “However, this situation could have been avoided – the responsibility lies with Lufthansa, which has so far failed to present a negotiable offer.”

    The timing of the strike will hit passengers “particularly hard”, Lufthansa said, urging the union to continue negotiations. 

    The airline dropped as much as 3.8 per cent in early Frankfurt trading on Thursday. The stock has lost 6.7 per cent in value in 2026.

    At Lufthansa CityLine, the walkout is tied to a dispute over a social plan for staff, covering severance and protections, as the regional unit is set to shut down. 

    The company has already suffered a turbulent start to the year with labour disputes, including pilot strikes that disrupted hundreds of flights, compounding the fallout from broader geopolitical challenges affecting air travel. BLOOMBERG

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