Major European airline cancels hundreds of flights as UK airports impacted

Major European airline cancels hundreds of flights as UK airports impactedFurther strike action has been announced across one of Europe's biggest airline groups, with Lufthansa flight cancellations expected to also impact British passengersCommentsNewsZahra Khaliq News Reporter22:46, 14 Apr 2026Updated 22:49, 14 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesBritish passengers look set to be caught up in more flight disruption (stock)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)Fresh disruption is looming for British travellers as a new wave of pilot strikes hits one of Europe's biggest airline groups.‌Holiday plans have already been thrown into chaos this week after a two-day walkout at Lufthansa forced hundreds of cancellations across Europe, with several UK airports caught in the fallout.‌Now, the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has confirmed further strike action across the airline and its subsidiaries - including Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa CityLine and Eurowings.‌The walkout is due to begin at 12:01am on April 16 and run until 11:59pm on April 17, with departures from German airports set to bear the brunt - routes to the UK look set to be hit.The union said flights to several Middle Eastern countries would be exempt due to ongoing tensions in the region, including routes to Egypt, Israel and the UAE.View 2 ImagesFresh walkouts are set to begin on Thursday (stock)(Image: ANNA SZILAGYI/EPA/Shutterstock)‌The message read: "Due to the current situation in the Middle East, flights operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lufthansa CityLine from Germany to the following destinations remain exempt from the strike: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates".Union president Andreas Pinheiro warned the dispute had come to a standstill. "The situation is deadlocked," he said, adding there has been "absolutely no movement" from employers on pensions or pay agreements across t...