Lufthansa Pushes Germany to Reform Strike Laws

In its latest Policy Brief newsletter, Lufthansa Group has called for the German government to amend laws regarding employee strikes, with the group noting that “sympathy strikes and flash mobs” have become “just as permissible as frequent and prolonged warning strikes.”

In its Policy Brief newsletter published on May 20, 2026, Lufthansa Group urged Germany to adopt “codified law governing industrial action, at least for critical infrastructure.”

The Germany-based airline group noted that “confrontation instead of cooperation” negatively affects growth, and pointed out that the recent geopolitical tensions, namely the conflict in Iran, have only affirmed how “vital stable and reliable air connectivity is.”

“In its current form, the right to strike represents a serious competitive disadvantage. Should aviation in this country continue to lose competitiveness, there is a risk that air traffic will permanently shift to other international hubs.”

Lufthansa Group reiterated that it does not question the right to strike, but rather that, in Germany, the “legal framework remains uncodified.” The airline group highlighted that the country’s courts had urged legislators to “establish clear statutory rules governing industrial action” as early as 1970.

However, nobody has taken action to this day, and “the principle of proportionality has gradually been expanded in favor of unions.”

“Sympathy strikes and flash mobs are now just as permissible as frequent and prolonged warning strikes.”

Lufthansa Group explained its position that, while in aviation, employee action is often limited to a small group of employees, of whom those scheduled to work on those days actually take part in labor action, strikes exert maximum “pressure on employers, passengers, and supply chains.”

According to its own estimates, the average cost of a day of strikes is around €20 million ($23.2 million), affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. So far in 2026, Lufthansa has experienced 9 strike days by the Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organization (UFO) and the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC).

“However, in the aviation industry, even the mere announcement of a strike suffices to cause significant damage. Bookings decline, and missed flights cannot be rescheduled. Vacation days are lost, business appointments canceled, and supply chains disrupted.”

The group’s last strikes in Germany were in April, when VC’s pilots announced strikes at Eurowings, Lufthansa, and Lufthansa CityLine, as well as Lufthansa Cargo. Germany-based Eurowing’s operations were affected on April 16, while Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine’s operations were disrupted on April 16 and April 17.

VC-represented flight crews had been on strike between April 13 and April 14. When it initially announced the two-day labor action, Andreas Pinheiro, the President of VC, said that the union felt “compelled” to strike after Lufthansa “showed no discernible willingness to find a solution in several wage disputes.”

According to the union, “neither Lufthansa nor Lufthansa Cargo has submitted an offer for a company pension scheme, nor has Lufthansa CityLine presented a viable offer for a new collective bargaining agreement.”

Lufthansa Group announced that it would immediately end Lufthansa CityLine’s operations on April 16, citing rising jet fuel prices and “rising additional burdens from labor disputes,” which forced the group to partially accelerate its corporate strategy.

Lufthansa Cuts Fleet as Fuel Shock Bites

In response to Lufthansa CityLine’s closure, Pinheiro called out that while the airline group has justified removing capacity from the market due to the “major crisis,” Lufthansa Group has been “examining whether other group companies – such as Lufthansa Classic itself – could take over these routes, even though, according to management, they are even less profitable.”

Pinheiro concluded that the group’s statements were “inherently inconsistent.”

When Lufthansa Group published its annual 2025 report, the company detailed that expenses related to “passenger assistance in connection with flight irregularities due to strikes and operational difficulties at German airports fell” to €228 million ($265.1 million), a 37% year-on-year (YoY) drop.

The group warned that one potential short-term risk to the company was UFO and VC’s demands for a redundancy plan at Lufthansa CityLine and for retirement benefits at Eurowings. It also cautioned that, while there is a general risk of labor disputes within the group, risks associated with pending union agreements could affect Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo in particular.

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