Hundreds of flights cancelled as major airline strikes

This has, in turn, led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, causing chaos for travellers.

The airline affected is Lufthansa.

It is bracing for widespread disruption as its cabin crew union announced a two-day strike later this week, following a walkout last Friday and an ongoing pilots’ strike.

The cabin crew union UFO has announced a strike at Lufthansa (LH) and Lufthansa CityLine (CL) at short notice for Wednesday, 15 April and Thursday, 16 April 2026.

Pilots are also striking on Monday and Tuesday, impacting tens of thousands of passengers as hundreds more flights were cancelled.

In response to the latest strike plans, Lufthansa board member Michael Niggemann criticised the union, saying it is “completely indifferent to the fate of our passengers and the future of Lufthansa”.

Last Friday’s cabin crew strike resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

The union cited a deadlock in collective bargaining, stating that “the union sees no sufficient movement on the part of the employers.”

Around 72,000 passengers across Germany endured significant travel disruption, with Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport reporting approximately 580 flight cancellations by Friday morning.

The strike also severely affected Munich, another key Lufthansa hub, while CityLine cabin crew walked out at nine airports nationwide.

Lufthansa brand chief Jens Ritter criticised the widespread industrial action as “completely disproportionate,” though UFO negotiators maintained that “escalation was inevitable given stalled talks.”

What does this mean for UK travellers?

Lufthansa operates extensive flights from the UK.

Primarily, it connects major airports such as London Heathrow (Terminal 2), Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow to destinations such as Frankfurt and Munich.

If you’re changing planes in Germany en route to elsewhere in Europe or on a long‑haul flight, your German leg is at high risk of delay or cancellation, which can cause you to miss onward flights.

Due to the nature of strikes, flights can be pulled abruptly.

Are you worried about the strikes? Let us know in the comments