A EUROPEAN airline is axing all flights with immediate effect.
Lufthansa‘s subsidiary airline CityLine is to cease operations due to both the Iran war and ongoing strike action.
The airline – which operates some flights to and from the UK – will be grounding 27 aircraft from April 18.
Flight routes typically connect London to both Frankfurt and Munich.
It isn’t clear how this will affect passengers just yet, as to whether they will offer alternative routes or refunds.
They said in a statement, according to local media: “As a first, immediately effective step, the 27 operational aircraft of Lufthansa CityLine will be permanently removed from the flight programme starting the day after tomorrow, in order to reduce further losses at the loss-making airline.”
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CityLine was due to cease operations by 2028, but has since decided to close this month instead.
Sun Travel has contacted Lufthansa for comment.
Lufthansa’s main airline has also announced that it will be grounding four Airbus jets and two Boeing jets for good, by the end of the summer, which are mainly used for longer flights.
Lufthansa will reduce short and medium-haul flights by five aircraft from this winter as well, while long-haul capacity will be reduced by six.
Till Streichert, chief financial officer of Lufthansa Group, also said: “The goal is to focus our short- and medium-haul platforms more clearly and make them more competitive.”
The announcement follows hundreds of flight cancellations this week following pilot strike action.
Union Vereinigung Cockpit called the strike action over pension disputes and yesterday announced that the strike action would be extended by two days.
Pilots first walked out on Monday leading to hundreds of flights being cancelled, including many from the UK.
Cabin crew also walked out yesterday and today.
Around 34 flights were cancelled to and from the UK yesterday and with an average flight usually carrying around 150 passengers each, more than 5,000 Brits could have been impacted.
When further strike action was announced, VC president Andreas Pinheiro said: “The situation remains unchanged; there is absolutely no movement on the employers’ side.
“For us, this is not about political power struggles or egos, but about sustainable solutions.”
In a statement, the airline told passengers earlier this week: “Lufthansa and Eurowings are working intensively to keep the impact on passengers as low as possible.
“We are trying to have as many flights as possible operated by other airlines within the Lufthansa Group and by partner airlines.
“However, despite these efforts, flight cancellations are unavoidable.
“Travelers who are affected by an irregularity will be informed accordingly, provided their contact details are stored in the booking.
“We ask passengers to check the status of their flight before setting out on their journey.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the disproportionate and very short-notice strike announcement.”
The airline has told passengers that if their flight is cancelled, they will be able to rebook once free of charge or have their ticket refunded.
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