Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday praised “the strategic importance” of Lufthansa as the German airline giant marked its centenary, but the celebrations were marred by a wave of recent strikes.<\/p>\n
“Lufthansa provides technical and logistical support for the German government fleet,” Merz said at Frankfurt Airport.<\/p>\n
“It also modifies and maintains the armed forces’ transport, reconnaissance and refueling aircraft. The civilian know-how of your company strengthens our country’s ability to defend itself”.<\/p>\n
The hundredth anniversary of Europe’s biggest aviation group — which also operates Eurowings, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels Airlines and has acquired a stake in Italy’s ITA — comes as thousands of flights have been cancelled in a wave of strikes this year.<\/p>\n
Both pilots and cabin crew have repeatedly walked out due to disputes over pay and pensions.<\/p>\n
The first strike of the year began in February, with almost 800 flights cancelled on a single day affecting about 100,000 passengers as pilots and cabin crew walked out. <\/p>\n
Pilots from the main airline as well as some subsidiaries are set to strike again on Thursday and Friday, having already stopped work earlier in the week.<\/p>\n
An AFP photographer saw hundreds of people dressed in yellow vests that carry the logos of the cabin crew and pilot unions protesting outside the event.<\/p>\n
Unions accuse Lufthansa of refusing to put good revised offers on the table, while the group has accused the unions of “absurd” behaviour.<\/p>\n
Opening the celebrations with a speech, the head of Lufthansa’s supervisory board Karl-Ludwig Kley called on Merz to make it harder for workers to go on strike.<\/p>\n
If the government did not take action to tighten laws on walkouts, the situation could “develop into an even bigger competitive disadvantage for our country,” he warned.<\/p>\n
Citing a letter to employees, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported Wednesday that Lufthansa had warned of the need to cut costs and was limiting hiring in response to the Middle East war.<\/p>\n
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