FRANKFURT — A four-day walkout by Lufthansa pilots that disrupted travel for thousands of people was cut short after the airline and the pilots’ union agreed to suspend the strike and hold talks, both sides said Monday.
They reached an agreement after a two-hour hearing at a Frankfurt labor court, Cockpit union spokesman Joerg Handwerg told The Associated Press.
Lufthansa confirmed the decision and said the walkout would end at midnight (4 p.m. MST).
“The parties agreed in front of the court that the strike is to be suspended through the 8th of March,” Lufthansa spokesman Andreas Bartels said, adding that the 4,000 pilots will return to work today, though it would take some time for normal operations to resume.
“They’re going to go back to work tomorrow,” he said Monday. “I can’t say when we are back to normal operations. It takes a lot of time.”
About 10,000 Lufthansa and Germanwings passengers were upended by the strike.
Handwerg said the strike was suspended until March 9, pending the resumption of talks between both sides. Pilots for Lufthansa Cargo and the low-budget subsidiary, Germanwings, were also taking part in the strike.
The Associated Press
