Overview
- Vereinigung Cockpit said multiple exploratory meetings are scheduled for next week and confirmed there will be no strike calls while these talks continue.
- The dispute centers on pilots seeking higher employer contributions to company pensions after a 2017 shift to a contribution-based scheme left projected benefits lower due to weak returns.
- Roughly 4,800 pilots at Lufthansa’s core carrier and Lufthansa Cargo are affected, with an internal vote delivering an overwhelming mandate for industrial action.
- Lufthansa confirmed ongoing dialogue, reiterating that it wants to avoid strikes and arguing the demanded top-ups are unaffordable given a restructuring program at the core airline.
- The pause in escalation is temporary, and a strike remains possible if talks fail, which could trigger widespread cancellations similar to past disruptions; the last pilot strike occurred in 2022.