Lufthansa grounds long-haul flights as strike drags on

More than 100,000 Lufthansa passengers are facing disruption as a strike by pilots dragged on for a third day.

The German airline cancelled about 830 flights on Friday, with long-haul journeys facing disruption over the weekend as the dispute intensifies.

Lufthansa has cancelled more than 2,600 flights since pilots first went on strike on Wednesday.

The pilots' union said 88 long-haul flights leaving Germany on Saturday would be hit.

Short and medium-haul flights suffered the worst disruption on Friday, upsetting travel plans for more than 315,000 passengers.

Passengers have been advised to check if their flight is operating on LH.com, while the airline is notifying passengers of cancellations by text or email.

Lufthansa has urged the pilots' union to enter mediation, but officials have first demanded a better offer from its management.

Joerg Handwerg, of the Vereinigung Cockpit union, said: "We will have to keep striking as there is no basis for negotiations or arbitration with Lufthansa at the moment."

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