Lufthansa To Cancel 156 Flights

-- Lufthansa cancelling 156 flights Tuesday
-- It expects fewer cancellations Wednesday
-- The strike is set to continue through Friday

FRANKFURT -- German air carrier Deutsche Lufthansa (LHA.XE) said that it will cancel 156 flights Tuesday, but expects fewer cancellations Wednesday after Germany's GdF union extended its strike at Frankfurt airport.

Labor union GdF has extended its warning strike at Frankfurt airport through Friday evening, amid a labor dispute about better wages and conditions. The union had previous planned to strike until Wednesday morning.

German airport operator Fraport AG (FRA.XE) said around 187 of 1,200 scheduled flights would be cancelled Tuesday, after approximately 80% of flights were serviced Monday, with 240 cancellations. Some 200 of those cancellations were Lufthansa flights.

Fraport also said the strikes cost the company EUR3.5 million to EUR4 million in sales on Thursday and Friday last week, when the strike began.

Fraport has said it is well prepared for the situation and has found replacement personnel to fill gaps.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for Lufthansa confirmed the airline would cancel fewer flights on Tuesday, less than previously planned. On Monday, a Lufthansa spokeswoman said the cancellations affect domestic and intra-European flights, not intercontinental flights. Lufthansa cancelled 232 flights last Friday.

GdF represents around 190 Fraport employees at the airport operator's traffic operation center as well as apron controllers and apron supervision staff.

A union spokesman repeated Tuesday that the union has the financial strength to continue the strikes.

The union is prepared to return to the bargaining table, "but we can't start from square one again," union Chairman Markus Siebers said.