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FRANKFURT / AP
German airline Lufthansa has reached a preliminary agreement on a labor deal with its pilots that would cut pension liabilities and bar strikes through 2022.
Lufthansa’s drawn-out talks with the Vereinigung Cockpit union have led to several costly stoppages that disrupted hundreds of flights.
Lufthansa’s labor relations head, Bettina Volkens, on Wednesday called the deal a “breakthrough” that would end the dispute.
The union said the deal would protect pilot jobs at Lufthansa and low-cost division Germanwings, while guaranteeing lower unit costs to the company. The company said it would drop plans to staff 40 planes outside the labor agreement and committed to operate a certain number of planes to offer pilots the opportunity to train for captain’s positions.
The two sides said details remain to be worked out.