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Lufthansa faces the latest in a series of walkouts by pilots forcing the cancellation of 1,450 flights scheduled between midday today and 11pm on Tuesday.
The stoppage is expected to affect short-haul and medium-haul flights for more than 200,000 passengers. Lufthansa said it hoped to be able to operate a third of its flights.
“All Lufthansa intercontinental flights, as well as flights operated by the Lufthansa Group airlines Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Germanwings, SWISS and Air Dolomiti will not be affected,” the airline said.
Pilots want the airline to reconsider plans to alter their pension provisions.
German rail travellers also faced cancellations and delays over the weekend as strikes hit rail services.
Pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit called out its members at Lufthansa’s budget airline Germanwings for a 12-hour strike last week.
“Regrettably Lufthansa has not acted on the compromise proposals of VC after seven strikes now since April this year and is stonewalling,” the union said.
The union is calling on Lufthansa to reconsider its decision to raise the age that they can retire from 55.
The company has offered to retain the scheme for existing members but not to extend it to new recruits.
The union also called a strike targeting the airline’s long-haul flights tomorrow.