Airlines: Pilot union calls for a conversation with Lufthansa managers

The VC Cockpit pilot union invites Lufthansa management to talks for the end of March in order to clear up tariff conflicts at the group. “There must be a breakthrough in the various tariff problems that exist in Lufthansa-especially at its core-” said VC President Andreas Pinheiro. A quick agreement is urgent “to enable crews and airlines the necessary planning security in the coming months”.

Lufthansa Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann, Jens Ritter, head of the core brand Lufthansa Airlines, Fabian Schmidt, head of Lufthansa Cityline, and Frank Bauer, board of the freight flight company Lufthansa Cargo, had invited to the planned conversation on March 31.

Union demands “serious willingness to talk”

The pilot union emphasized that it wanted to lead a constructive dialogue, but expects “serious willingness to talk” from Lufthansa. A VC spokesman said that the conversation should be about the end of the regional subsidiary Cityline and the desired turnaround at the core brand Lufthansa Airlines, which cannot be achieved without any cuts from a corporate perspective. An Lufthansa spokesman said that the Cockpit Association was already “regularly in exchange”.

Lufthansa repeatedly struggles with unions in the widely branched group. Last April, the airline had agreed with the flight attendants on significant salary growth. This guarantees a tariff in the core company’s cabin until the end of 2026. Then, however, the collective agreement with VC expires. Most recently, there had been strikes at the Lufthansa subsidiary Discover in autumn.

In 2024, Lufthansa strikes had a bitter profit decline together with higher costs and lower ticket prices. The core brand Lufthansa Airlines even wrote red numbers in day -to -day business. The operational profit in front of special items broke by over one billion to around 1.65 billion euros across the group. This year the board is aiming for a “clear” improvement.