Skip to main content

Strikes by German pilot and cabin crew unions force Lufthansa to cancel flights

BERLIN (AP) — One-day strikes by unions representing pilots and cabin crew at Lufthansa caused a wave of flight cancelations Thursday at Germany’s biggest airline.

Lufthansa criticized the walkouts as disproportionate but said it expects to offer a largely normal flight program Friday.

Lufthansa said the strikes called by the Vereinigung Cockpit and UFO unions led to extensive cancelations, but didn’t give a specific figure. The departures board at the airline’s main Frankfurt hub suggested most of its flights from there Thursday morning were canceled.

The airline said it was trying to rebook passengers onto flights by partner airlines and other companies from the Lufthansa group, which includes airlines such as Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.

The two unions called for the 24-hour walkouts on Tuesday.

Vereinigung Cockpit called for walkouts on flights departing from Germany in a dispute over the pension system for pilots at the airline and its Lufthansa Cargo unit.

UFO called for members to strike on flights departing Frankfurt and Munich and flights by the Lufthansa Cityline unit in a dispute over its demand for negotiations on various issues.

Australian watchdog files legal action against Telegram, saying it failed to remove violent content

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s online safety watchdog has filed legal action against messaging app Telegram, saying the platform failed to remove extremist content including videos of white supremacist mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and the New Zealand city of Christchurch as well as Islamic State group beheadings. The United Arab Emirates-based app, which reports having 1 billion users worldwide, faces a fine of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars ($38 million) if convicted in the Australian Federal Court for “alleged failure to detect and remove pro-terror material,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Thursday. The civil action is a test of Australia's 2021 law requiring tech platforms to work to keep illegal and pro-terrorism material off their networks. Telegram denied the claims. “We reject these allegations and will contest them in court,” a spokesperson said in a written statement sent on Telegram.
Read Next Story