Despite pilot strike, Lufthansa Cargo to maintain 80% freighter flights

A 48-hour pilot strike called by the Vereinigung Cockpit union, a trade and professional association for airline pilots and flight engineers in Germany, is disrupting operations across the Lufthansa Group between March 12 and March 13, affecting passenger flights and parts of the cargo network. While thousands of passengers face delays and cancellations, Lufthansa Cargo informed on Wednesday that it will be able to fly more than 80 percent of its cargo flight programme.

The strike involved cockpit crews from Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and the regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine. The industrial action began at 00:01 on March 12 and will continue until 23:59 on March 13, with Lufthansa CityLine pilots participating on the first day.

Impact on cargo operations
For the cargo sector, the impact is expected to be more limited. Lufthansa Cargo said it plans to operate more than 80% of its scheduled freighter flights during the strike period.

The airline operates a dedicated cargo fleet that includes the Boeing 777 Freighter for long-haul routes and the Airbus A321 Converted Freighter used on regional cargo services. In addition to its freighter fleet, the airline also transports cargo in the belly holds of passenger aircraft operated by group carriers such as Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways.

However, Lufthansa Cargo confirmed that a limited number of cargo rotations will be cancelled during the strike period:

LH 8430 (12 March) FRA – PEK

LH 8431 (13 March) PEK – FRA

LH 8262 (12 March) FRA – CWB – VCP

LH 8263 (13 March) CWB – VCP – FRA

LH 8354 (12 March) FRA – IST

LH 8355 (12 March) IST – FRA

LH 8304 (12 March) FRA – MLA

LH 8305 (13 March) MLA – MXP – FRA

LH 8320 (12 March) FRA – BHX – DUB

LH 8321 (12 March) BHX – DUB – FRA

Despite reduced passenger operations, Lufthansa Cargo said it is working with partner airlines and joint-venture freighter operators to mitigate capacity shortages.

Pension dispute behind strike
The dispute centres on negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement covering pilot pensions. Until 2017, pilots received a traditional pension scheme with guaranteed payouts. This was later replaced by a capital market-based model, which the union says provides significantly lower retirement benefits.

The strike comes just weeks after a one-day warning strike on February 12 that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded.

“We would have preferred to avoid escalation, but there is still no offer on the table,” said Andreas Pinheiro, President of Vereinigung Cockpit.

The union argues that the shift from a defined-benefit pension scheme to a defined-contribution model could weaken pilots’ long-term financial security. Concerns over pay and working conditions at Lufthansa CityLine have also contributed to the dispute.

Flight disruptions
By 11 a.m. CET on the first day of the strike, more than 75% of affected short-haul flights and over 70% of long-haul flights had been cancelled.

“This first day of the strike is going better than expected,” Pinheiro said, adding that around 30% of the flights that operated were handled by subcontractors.

Despite the disruption, Lufthansa commits to operating more than half of its scheduled passenger flights during the strike period. Long-haul services could run at up to 60% of the normal schedule, with the airline deploying larger aircraft and relying on other group carriers to minimise disruptions.

While passenger travel is expected to face the most immediate disruption, the continued operation of most freighter flights is likely to help stabilise cargo movements across the airline’s global network during the strike period.