The fronts in the wage dispute between the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings and the pilots’ union Cockpit harden dramatically. The management of the holiday airline is putting promotions and growth plans on hold, citing strike damage as the reason.
As a result of the pilots’ strike at Eurowings, the Lufthansa subsidiary pulls out the red pencil. The fleet of 81 aircraft planned for 2023 will initially be reduced by five, the company announced in the afternoon. The planned creation of at least 200 additional jobs at Eurowings Germany in the cockpit and in the cabin will be stopped with immediate effect. Pilots who are currently in training are only given temporary contracts. As the demand is reduced, all promotions to captain will also be stopped, the company said.
In a bitter collective bargaining dispute, the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union and the management are fighting for relief for the pilots. Among other things, the union is demanding 14 additional days off. Management last offered 10. In an open letter to the workforce on Monday, management threatened to withdraw the offer if the strike continued. Because of the strike costs – according to the company a two-digit million amount per day – jobs are in danger.
An ultimatum on Monday evening allowed the union to pass. “The ongoing escalation strategy of the Cockpit Association robs us of the security we need for further investments in our German flight operations,” explained Finance and Human Resources Manager Kai Duve.
The pilots’ strike at the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings also led to significant restrictions on flight operations at Germany’s major airports on the second day. At Düsseldorf Airport, 84 out of 160 flights were canceled on Tuesday, according to the airport. At Cologne/Bonn Airport, 35 of 63 originally planned flight movements were canceled. There were also cancellations in Stuttgart, Munich and Hamburg and many passengers with Eurowings tickets had to reschedule. Tomorrow, Wednesday – the third and last day of the work stoppages – even more would be canceled, namely 100 take-offs and landings out of 160.
