Lufthansa strikes intensify

The pilot strike at Lufthansa has intensified as the airline attempted to prevent the latest walkout via a court injunction.

However, labor courts in the German cities of Frankfurt and Cologne rejected the company's attempt to undermine the pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit's (VC) walkout.

Around 140,000 out of 180,000 would-be passengers are expected to be affected on Wednesday, the second day of the strike.

Nearly 1,000 of Lufthansa's scheduled 1,520 flights are expected to be canceled. It is the 13th strike inside 18 months at the airline.

The dispute focuses on pensions and a planned austerity plan to allow the German airliner to compete with budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easy Jet by reducing tariffs.

"Despite the labor action, Lufthansa is able to offer 90 of the scheduled long-haul flights to its passengers and all cargo flights," the company said in a statement.

'Highly dangerous'

Michael Fuchs, a deputy head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative caucus, told the German newspaper "Bild" on Wednesday that the pilots' actions were "dangerous."

"What the pilots are doing is highly dangerous," Fuchs said, adding that the union was jeopardizing the company's ability to face "tough international competition."

"It cannot be that hundreds of thousands are constantly held hostage to the interests of a small minority," Fuchs told the newspaper.

Fuchs noted that compulsory arbitration would be necessary in the future to prevent "recurring strikes."

Meanwhile, VC spokesperson Markus Wahl on Tuesday told reporters at Frankfurt airport that more strikes could be imminent.

"Until further notice, it is possible that every week there will be new actions," said Wahl.

Lufthansa has provided a special schedule for the strike, although passengers must search for their flights on the company's website to see whether they are affected.

ls/jr (AFP, dpa)