Hundreds of flights likely to be affected by Eurowings pilot strike

BERLIN, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Hundreds of flights by Lufthansa’s budget airline Eurowings are expected to be cancelled on Thursday as pilots hold a one-day strike after several rounds of failed talks.

Eurowings said on Wednesday that it expects to be able to operate only half its normal flight schedule of just over 500 flights, with about 30,000 passengers to likely be affected.

The action will affect only Eurowings Germany flights, not those of Eurowings Europe, said the airline, which added that it is doing everything it can to minimize the strike’s effect.

Pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), after 10 rounds of talks failed to lead to any considerable convergence, wants Eurowings to ease pilots’ workloads by, for example, increasing their rest periods.

A Eurowings board member, Kai Duve, said in a statement that the demands endanger the viability of the airline.

(Reporting by Klaus Lauer, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More)