Lufthansa Cancelled 800 Flights, 700 Passengers Stranded At Delhi Airport

Lufthansa, Germany’s flag carrier airline, cancelled almost all scheduled flights from its main German hubs in Munich and Frankfurt on Friday after pilots called a strike.

The airline in a statement said that it has cancel 800 flights on September 2nd, affecting “130,000 passengers.”

After pay negotiations with the German airline fell through, pilots called for a strike that would affect both Lufthansa passengers and Lufthansa Cargo. The strike started at 00:01 a.m. on Friday and will continue till 23:59 p.m.

The flight disruption could result in additional “individual cancellations or delays on Saturday and Sunday,” according to Lufthansa.

700 Passengers Stranded at Delhi Airport

Due to the pilot strike, Lufthansa cancelled two flights, stranding approximately 700 passengers at Delhi’s Indra Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 on Friday.

More than 100 people reportedly gathered outside the airport, including friends and family of the stranded passengers, and demanded refunds or other accommodations. According to a senior police officer, at 12.15 a.m. on Friday, there was a report of a mob assembling on the main road in front of departure gate number 1 at Terminal 3 IGI Airport.

According to Tanu Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport), the crowd demanded a refund or alternate arrangement for their relatives who were present inside the terminal building.

When they were told that the flights had been cancelled without any prior intimation, they became agitated. They were later calmed down by the CISF and airport personnel.

It is worth noting that two Lufthansa flights, one to Frankfurt at 2.50 a.m. with 300 passengers and another to Munich at 1.10 a.m. with 400 passengers, had been cancelled.