Overview

• Lufthansa Classic posted a €274 million loss in the first half of 2025, and the broader Lufthansa Airlines segment recorded a €307 million deficit.
• Management says the current Vereinigung Cockpit proposal would lift annual pension costs for Lufthansa-Classic cockpit staff to €228 million, more than doubling current outlays.
• The pilots’ union has opened a strike ballot covering Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo crews, with voting underway until September 30.
• Jens Ritter warns a walkout would narrow options for a deal and could force the transfer of aircraft to more profitable group operations.
• The dispute stems from a 2017 shift to funded company pensions that placed investment risk on employees, as the cabin-crew union Ufo also abandons groupwide talks to pursue airline-by-airline bargaining.