Germany’s leading carrier grounds services, with 100,000 passengers affected

Around 900 flights operated by Lufthansa are being grounded Wednesday as pilots announced a fresh strike over an ongoing wage dispute.

Germany’s leading airline announced that it has cancelled 876 long- and short-haul flights, including 51 intercontinental flights planned for Wednesday, due to action by the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit.

Lufthansa apologised to around 100,000 passengers affected by the strike and asked its customers to check the status of their flights on the company website before travelling to the airport.

The German carrier said it is working on alternative plans for the passengers affected by the strike, by rebooking them to other airlines or offering other means of transportation whenever possible.

Lufthansa pilots have staged more than a dozen strikes since April 2014, due to a long-running labor dispute.

The union, which represents 5,400 pilots at Lufthansa, is demanding a 3.7 percent annual pay rise for its members.

The union decided on Tuesday night to extend their 24-hour long strike to Thursday, which is expected to lead to the cancellation of hundreds of long- and short-haul flights.

•Text courtesy of Anadolu Agency.

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